Willie Nile: “American Ride” (2013) CD Review

Willie Nile’s new CD, American Ride, is an excellent collection of songs. It opens with some seriously good rock and roll, the kind of music to get you smiling, dancing and feeling fantastic. But there’s a lot more going on here than just fun rock. And Willie Nile’s earnest delivery really sells these songs. The energy on many of these tracks is tremendous, and you will get caught up in his passion, which is palpable on songs like “God Laughs” and “Holy War.” Most of these tunes are originals, written or co-written by Willie Nile. (In fact, there is just one cover song.)

We’re not even through June, so it’s maybe a bit early to talk about the best albums of the year. But certainly American Ride will land on my list of the top ten albums of 2013.

American Ride opens with a bang. “This Is Our Time,” the first track, comes on strong, a wild and fun burst of energy. This is a joyful rock song, the kind of song that makes you feel damn good about being alive, that even makes you feel more alive. Willie Nile sings, “This is our time/This is our place/This is our moment in the human race/This is our journey.” And I love the “oohs.” Toward the end he sings, “Can you feel the power?/Can you feel the drive?/Can you feel the feeling that it’s good to be alive?” Oh yes, particularly when listening to this song (and the entire album, actually).

“Life On Bleecker Street” is (obviously) a song about New York, and there is something playful in Willie’s delivery of the verses. There is something devious in his tone, like he’s up to something. It begins, “I live in the basement of a building/In a building on a street in this town/In a building on the street/In the neighborhood complete/With the garbage and the sun going down.” And the chorus is more joyous rock: “This is life on Bleecker Street/Where the tourists shuffle to a boom box beat/Old man sit and stare at their feet/This is life on Bleecker Street.” And there are more “oohs,” which are so perfect, and sound so positive.

“American Ride,” the album’s title track, is an acoustic tune with a slower, sweeter feel. It starts with him leaving New York City (“I’ve got my bag and my guitar, I’m going to get out fast”). This is a good traveling tune, with obligatory mentions of several United States cities such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Nashville, Charlotte and San Francisco. I love road trips (and I’m eager for one, especially now listening to this), and this song belongs on any road trip mix. “These roads can take us coast to coast/To points unknown or the way back home.”  (By the way, that’s Steuart Smith on banjo.)  “American Ride” was written by Willie Nile and Mike Peters.

The verses of “If I Ever See The Light” have an intensity, helped by that steady pounding of the kick drum. The chorus has an intensity too, but also a beauty (along the lines of the best of John Cafferty or some of Bruce Springsteen’s work): “But if I ever see the light/If I ever see the light/I’m gonna walk up to it/Put my first right through it.” Great, right?

Willie Nile follows that with “She’s Got My Heart,” a surprisingly pretty love song. “Some people tell me I should leave that girl alone/But when she’s not near me, part of me is gone/She’s got her father’s eyes/She’s got her mother’s smile/But she’s got my heart.” “She’s Got My Heart” was written by Willie Nile and Frankie Lee.

“God Laughs” is ridiculously, surprisingly fun. “God gives, God takes/God pumps your gas and slams your breaks/And why?/Because he’s God.” The first time I heard it, I wasn’t sure quite what to make of it, but then just let go and enjoyed it. These lyrics are delightfully original and passionate. And this is a great rock and roll tune, with some wonderful guitar work, and with backing vocals echoing many of the lines. You have to love these lyrics: “God hears, God sees/God knows your tune and changes keys/God cheats, God steals/God crushes us beneath his wheels/God heals, God kills/God does it all for your cheap thrills.”

“People Who Died,” the album’s sole cover, is an odd choice of covers. After all, this song actually mentions people from Jim Carroll’s life. That being said, this is a kick-ass rendition. And Willie Nile makes it personal by changing a line to include his brother John (“And Johnny, I miss you more than all the others”). It has always felt a little strange to dance to a song that’s about friends who have died, but I can never help myself. This version has some great work on guitar. (By the way, the song was originally on Jim Carroll’s Catholic Boy, one of my all-time favorite albums.)

Willie Nile follows it with another impassioned and intense rock song, “Holy War.” This has an interesting hook on guitar. Its first lines are: “God is great but you’re not/You took dead aim, you fired the shot/Killed my brother, thanks a lot/God is great, you’re not.”  It’s an angry song, and sometimes angry tunes go a bit astray. But I can’t help but fucking love this song (even with the somewhat juvenile line, “God is great, you suck”). And I dig, “God is great/So what?” And then toward the end he repeats the line, “God don’t need you.”

“Say Hey” is a groovy song with a bit of swing, and some great stuff on horns (I actually want more of the horns). Cherry Poppin’ Daddies fans will totally dig this one.

“Sunrise In New York City” is a feel-good, uplifting rock tune. Hell, this song actually makes me want to go to New York City (this from a Red Sox fan). “Sunrise in New York City/Sunrise, well it sure looks pretty.” “Sunrise In New York City” was written by Willie Nile and Frankie Lee.

Willie Nile brings it down a bit with “The Crossing,” which begins with just piano and vocals. It’s a beautiful and moving song. “The wind was cold, the risk was great/When we made the crossing.” Strings come in partway through. Rob Morsberger did the string arrangement for this song.

Willie wraps up the album with a great, rousing folk tune titled “There’s No Place Like Home.” This is another that will make you feel really good. “I’ve climbed the highest mountains, I’ve sailed the deepest sea/I’ve been all around the world, yeah, but there’s only one place for me.” It’s also playful, with lines like, “Home is where the heart can linger/Just like frosting on your middle finger.”

CD Track List

1. This Is Our Time
2. Life On Bleecker Street
3. American Ride
4. If I Ever See The Light
5. She’s Got My Heart
6. God Laughs
7. People Who Died
8. Holy War
9. Say Hey
10. Sunrise In New York City
11. The Crossing
12. There’s No Place Like Home

American Ride is scheduled to be released on June 25, 2013 on River House Records.

Delbert & Glen: “Blind, Crippled And Crazy” (2013) CD Review

Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark’s new album, Blind, Crippled And Crazy, is a great mix of country rock and blues. Running through many of these tracks is the theme of aging, looking back, acknowledging changes (such as “Been Around A Long Time,” “More And More, Less And Less,” “Sure Feels Good” and “Good As I Feel Today”). But this is certainly not a somber look back, or even a heavily nostalgic collection of songs. Rather this is a fun album, with plenty of positive vibes and an underlying message to enjoy your life (no matter what point of it you’re experiencing now). Sure, there are some serious songs, but this is a truly enjoyable collection of music. My favorites are “More And More, Less And Less,” “Good As I Feel Today” and “If I Could Be Your Lover.” There is really only one track that’s kind of weak (“Somebody To Love You”).

Blind, Crippled And Crazy kicks off with “Been Around A Long Time,” which has a fun country honky tonk rhythm. This is the first of several songs dealing one way or another with aging. “Some things just get better like fine wine/I ain’t old, but I’ve been around a long time.” The vocals have the perfect rough quality of someone who has been around and experienced a lot. I like these lines: “If you don’t do nothing you’re going to live to regret/You won’t have to live with what you can’t forget.” There is also some groovy work on piano by Bruce Katz. This song makes me feel I should have a beer in my hand. (Hmm, hang on…)

They follow that with another fun country rock tune, “Whoever Said It Was Easy.” This song has the hook line, “Whoever said it was easy/He ain’t in love with you.” But make no mistake, this is a love song. He sings, “But I’m in it for the long haul/I’m going to love you to the day I die.” This song also features some catchy stuff on guitar during its lead section.

“World Of Hurt” is much more in the blues vein. This is a really cool tune about what the blues express best – a love affair gone wrong, and the resulting pain. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Every day more misery/Ever since you rejected me/You shook me off like a dirty shirt/And put me in a world of hurt/A world of hurt, a world of hurt/From heaven on earth to a world of hurt.” I love the moments when it builds to its chorus. Plus, I dig the harmonica by Glen Clark.

“More And More, Less And Less” is one of my favorites. It starts, “A lot of things I used to do I don’t do no more/I don’t play the game, and I don’t keep score/The rat race rhythm I’ve been living in has put me to the test/These days I need more and more less and less.” This one is in a similar vein to Bob Dylan’s “Things Have Changed.” Delbert McClinton provides some really nice work on harmonica. And I love the electric guitar by Bob Britt.

“Sure Feels Good” is a very cool song with a great vibe and groove. I particularly love the way they draw out the line, “It sure feels good being me.” You totally believe them – and hell, it sure feels good hearing them sing it. This is another with the theme of getting older, gaining wisdom – looking at the world from a more relaxed, happier perspective. “I don’t have to be anybody I don’t want to be.” And of course this song features some more cool stuff on harmonica by Delbert McClinton.

“Good As I Feel Today” is another about taking stock of one’s life, and seeing things are pretty damn good.  Check out these lines: “I don’t owe nobody nothing and nobody owes me/And the things I love the most, they all come for free/The more I see, the more I’m convinced/This whole world is never going to make sense/It don’t much matter anyway/As good as I feel today.” This song has a kind of slow, easy rock groove (like something by Little Feat). It’s a wonderful song, and it has some really nice work on keys by Bruce Katz.

This CD concludes with “If I Could Be Your Love,” which is one of my favorites. Something about the way it’s approached vocally reminds me of Greg Brown. This is a song in which he woos a woman by telling her all he’d do if he could be hers. I love the vibe. There is something very sexy, particularly in the instrumental section (listen to that wonderful violin by Stuart Duncan). And there are these beautiful lines: “If I could be your lover, I would give you my heart/I’d never hold back, not one little part/Be all in right from the start.”

CD Track List

1. Been Around A Long Time
2. Whoever Said It Was Easy
3. Oughta Know
4. World Of Hurt
5. More And More, Less And Less
6. Just When I Need You The Most
7. Somebody To Love You
8. Sure Feels Good
9. Tell My Mama
10. Peace In The Valley
11. Good As I Feel Today
12. If I Could Be Your Lover

Blind, Crippled And Crazy was released on June 18, 2013 on New West Records.

A Buck Dancer’s Choice: A Benefit For The Rex Foundation (2013) CD Review

A Buck Dancer’s Choice: A Benefit For The Rex Foundation is a two-disc set of music performed by ALO, Bob Weir and the Mickey Hart Band on December 1, 2012 at the Fillmore in San Francisco.  There were three sets that night. These CDs features music from all three sets (and there is a lot of music; each disc is just over 79 minutes).

As the title says, the concert and this CD benefit the Rex Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization established in 1983 by members of the Grateful Dead and their friends. It was named after Rex Jackson, a Grateful Dead roadie and later road manager. A Buck Dancer’s Choice is in honor of Jon McIntire, who was a manager of the Grateful Dead and also a member of the board of directors for the Rex Foundation. (He died in February, 2012.) The title comes from a line in the Grateful Dead song “Uncle John’s Band."

The first disc opens with songs by members of ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra). “Listen To The River” has a groovy vibe and good vocals, and a nice lead guitar part done over some percussion. “Easy” is a really good little acoustic number. “But these are desperate times to be alive/To try and thrive/Easy, don’t push, don’t shove/Just try to lay back and love/Your life for a minute/Because you’re livin’ it, baby.”

Bob Weir joins them for two songs. The first is “Me & My Uncle,” the song the Grateful Dead played more times than any other song. This is a cool, slightly slow acoustic rendition, with a nice instrumental section. The second song is more surprising, an interesting rendition of “Dark Star.” It’s still odd to me to hear Bob sing Jerry’s songs. During the second verse, Bob really holds onto certain notes, stretching out those words, giving the song a different twist.

Then – and this is a total joy – Bob Weir does a solo acoustic set. I got to see Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman perform a series of acoustic shows in 1989, and this music took me back to those great days. Bob starts with “Loose Lucy,” and is clearly having fun with this Jerry tune. “Thank you for a real good time.” There’s a playful shout during an instrumental section. Is it possible to jam by yourself? Well, Bob does it. These aren’t short renditions. Three of his four tunes are each eight minutes.

And it seems an odd thing, but he does a solo acoustic version of “Playing In The Band.” Holy moly. The beginning has a completely different feel, and is wonderful. And then he kicks in, with no lack of power, I assure you. At the end, Bob jokes, “I had anticipated doing that a bunch smoother.”

Bob also does “Peggy-O” and “Black-Throated Wind,” the latter being an excellent song that first appeared on Bob’s 1972 “solo” album, Ace. This version features a fairly powerful vocal performance, with a particularly interesting delivery of “You’ve done better by me than I’ve done by you.”

And then the Mickey Hart Band performs. They begin with a tribal-sounding version of the “Samson & Delilah” beat. It’s pretty amazing. And then they launch into the tune – a great, intense rendition. That leads to “Cut The Deck,” a song written by Robert Hunter, Mickey Hart, Cliff Goldmacher and Ben Yonas. This song is kind of beautiful at times, and is one I hadn’t heard before. “All I ever wanted was some of your love.”

The second disc is the Mickey Hart Band, with the first two tracks featuring Bob Weir sitting in on vocals and guitar. The first is “China Cat Sunflower,” and it includes the old shout of “China Cat,” which the Dead did way back at the beginning – a very cool and surprising touch. A good jam leads perfectly into “I Know You Rider.” This is a really good, smooth rendition, and Bob sings the “northbound train” verse.

“Heartbeat Of The Sun” begins as an odd, moody, spacey tune, with elements of electronica. Seven and a half minutes in, it changes, taking on an insistent beat and increasing in pace. (I wonder how many audience members timed their trips to peak at this point.) There is a bit of stage banter from Mickey at the end of the track (about the Rex Foundation and his wedding anniversary).

They do another Grateful Dead tune, “Franklin’s Tower” (a song the Dead played at my first show – yes, without “Help On The Way” and “Slipknot”). “If you get confused, listen to the music play.” This version has a cool jam toward the end, mostly vocals and percussion.

“Time Never Ends” is electronica with some sampling of political speeches. It has a bit of a trippy feel, and I’m totally into it. “Time stands still and always will.” The vocals at times remind me a bit of Grace Slick.  And then we hear that familiar Bo Diddley beat, and yes, we’re off into “Not Fade Away.”  The disc ends with the always-sweet “Brokedown Palace.”

CD Track List

Disc One

1. Listen To The River
2. Easy
3. Falling Dominoes
4. Me And My Uncle
5. Dark Star
6. Loose Lucy
7. Playin’ In The Band
8. Peggy-O
9. Black-Throated Wind
10. Samson And Delilah
11. Cut The Deck 

Disc Two

1. China Cat Sunflower
2. I Know You Rider
3. Heartbeat Of The Sun
4. Jersey Shore
5. Franklin’s Tower
6. Time Never Ends
7. Not Fade Away
8. Band intros
9. Brokedown Palace 

A Buck Dancer’s Choice: A Benefit For The Rex Foundation is available as a download, and on CD through nugs.net.

Davell Crawford: “My Gift To You” (2013) CD Review

Davell Crawford’s new album (his first in many years), My Gift To You, is such a joy to listen to. The first time I put it on, I was taking care of stuff around my apartment – you know, stuff I’d prefer not to do – and this album had me smiling the whole time. There is something both soothing and uplifting about so many of these tracks. But there is also a lot of fun material here, particularly “Southern Woman” and “Going Back To Louisiana.”

My Gift To You combines elements of jazz, gospel, blues, folk and pop. It is mix of original material and interesting choices of covers, including songs penned by James Taylor, Steve Winwood and Billy Joel. The covers he really makes his own. This album also features some great guests, including Dr. John, Nicholas Payton, and Steve Riley.

The CD includes extensive liner notes, with Davell Crawford’s thoughts on each of the tracks. His brief essay on why he hadn’t released any music for a while might come across as a bit self-indulgent, but that’s okay. There is also a longer piece by Geraldine Wyckoff. My Gift To You is dedicated to New Orleans (Davell Crawford’s home), and some songs deal in a very direct way with that city, like “Stranger In My Own Home.”

My Gift To You opens with “Creole Man,” a song that approaches from a distance, rushing at you. Then when it reaches you, it quickly takes on a tribal feel, mixed with orchestral sounds. And hell, that’s just the instrumental intro. Davell Crawford’s vocals have a soft, smooth, almost feminine quality, but there is a power too. This song is a very strong opening track, with a sound all its own, that gives you high expectations for the rest of the album. “Creole Man” was written by Davell Crawford.

“River/White Socks & Drawers” begins with a good, funky groove, particularly in its vocals. Dr. John provides some very cool spoken word vocals on this one (“You know the spirit of the river/Ain’t gonna never lie”). And it’s the backing vocals that really make this track special. There’s also some nice work on saxophone by Donald Harrison, Jr.

“Junco Partner Cud’in Joe” has a scratchy record effect that helps give it a kind of 1970s, strangely romantic, late-night feel at the start. This song has a subdued jazzy feel that pulls you in. It’s a song that feels like it could pounce on you at any moment.

It’s been a while since I’ve listened to Billy Joel, but Davell Crawford’s cover of “The River Of Dreams” is a reminder that he wrote some damn good songs. This rendition is so sweet, so beautiful, so touching, due in large part to Davell’s vocals. And I do love the saxophone part by Donald Harrison. There is also an interesting backing vocals section toward the end.

Davell Crawford follows that with a cover of James Taylor’s “Fire And Rain” – a slow, thoughtful version. For me, the trumpet part by Nicholas Payton really makes this one stand out. “Southern Nights/Many Rivers To Cross” is a really wonderful instrumental track combining the two songs, and performed by Davell Crawford solo on piano.

“Don’t Ever Be Blue” is one of my favorite tracks. It just really has a good vibe about it that raises my spirits. It’s one of those songs that makes you feel good about being alive, and it features Steve Riley on accordion and fiddle. “Don’t Ever Be Blue” was written by Davell, and his vocals are particularly wonderful on this one.  “Just keep going on, and keep singing your song and doing the best you can do/Don’t ever be blue.”

“Southern Woman (Ain’t Nothin’ Like A)” is a fun, energetic song written by Davell Crawford. He sings, “I been all around the world/I fancy life and the pretty girls/But still one thing I wanna find/A southern woman, make her mine.” This song has a great groove, with nice work on horns (Marlon Jordan on trumpet and Clarence Johnson III on saxophone).

But the track that is the most fun is “Going Back To Louisiana,” which features Dr. John on lead vocals, and some delightful backing vocals. I love the vibe to this song; it has a great, kind of slow, bright feel. Steve Riley is wonderful on accordion and fiddle, and I love Davell’s work on piano. Everything just works perfectly to create a groovy atmosphere and one of the CD’s best tracks. When Dr. John asks, “Can you dig it?” I can’t help but answer, “Oh yeah.” “Going Back To Louisiana” was written by Davell Crawford.

I’ve always loved Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home.” Davell Crawford does a good job with it, giving it his own interpretation. Though I actually don’t like the backing vocals echoing the title line, which seems to take away from the emotional impact of it.

My Gift To You ends with the pretty “Ode To Louisiana,” complete with a string section. In this one, Davell sings, “I’ll travel the whole wide world over/And sing of your beauty and love.”

CD Track List

1. Creole Man
2. River/White Socks & Drawers
3. Junco Partner Cud’in Joe
4. The River Of Dreams
5. Fire And Rain
6. Southern Nights/Many Rivers To Cross
7. Don’t Ever Be Blue
8. Louisiana Sunday Afternoon
9. Southern Girl
10. Southern Woman (Ain’t Nothin’ Like A)
11. Stranger In My Own Home
12. Until I See You In A While
13. Going Back To Louisiana
14. Can’t Find My Way Home
15. Ode To Louisiana

My Gift To You was released on June 11, 2013 on Basin Street Records.

(Note: I also posted this review on Pop Culture Beast.)