Norma MacDonald: “Burn The Tapes” (2015) CD Review

I first popped in Norma MacDonald’s new CD, Burn The Tapes, after a long day at work, with the intention of just listening to a song or two to get a feel for what she’s like, having never heard her solo work before. I knew Norma MacDonald only from her work with Bend The River (last year’s So Long Joan Fontaine is an excellent album, by the way). But I was immediately drawn in by her voice, by its warmth and beauty, and by the songs themselves. Burn The Tapes features original material, and she proves herself to be an incredibly talented songwriter as well as singer. I love these lines from “To Nebraska”: “It made you feel all right, it made you feel better/It made you feel someday instead of never.” “Before We Say Goodnight” is the only song whose lyrics she did not write (they were written by fellow Bend The River bandmate Ronok Sarkar). Norma MacDonald is joined on this album by Bend The River’s Adam Fine, Phil Sedore, and Matt Myer, and by several other talented musicians and singers, including Kim Harris, whose own Only The Mighty is another album that is definitely worth listening to. I feel like I’ve said this a lot lately, but fantastic music continues to come to us from Canada. Every track on this disc is strong, and I’d be surprised if this CD didn’t end up on my list of favorite albums of the year.

The CD opens with “Company,” a beautiful song. There is a bit of an ache in Norma's voice that you’ll feel yourself as she sings, “At the edge of the water, at the edge of the world/Thought I’d always be your small town city girl.” Adding to the emotional impact of this song is the fact that what she needs is so simple, so basic: “I sure do miss your company.” It’s so simply stated, that you end up feeling so much behind it. Dale Murray plays pedal steel on this track. Kim Harris and Gabrielle Papillon provide backing vocals.

“Company” is followed by “Blue As A Jay,” my personal favorite song on this disc, and one of the best songs I’ve heard so far this year. It opens sweetly, with Norma singing, “I’m never lost for something to say/I’m bold as a gull and blue as a jay.” Dan MacCormack plays banjo on this track, and it’s interesting how the banjo works with the percussion to create a compelling, almost haunting sound in those sections. This is a song that just completely owns me. I could listen to it all day. “And oh, can I take you home/Can I stay with you ‘til the morning/And why oh why does this feeling die/And these lonesome blue some a-callin’.” (By the way, you can also hear Dan MacCormack on banjo on So Long Joan Fontaine.)

As much as I love banjo, I’m even more of a sucker for cello, and “You Can’t Carry It Around” features Phil Sedore on cello. It also features some gorgeous backing vocals by Kim Harris and Gabrielle Papillon. And check out these lyrics: “Talking in a voice like an old cathedral bell/Waiting for a chance to pour your heart not made of stone/And you want to wear it like a jewel in your crown/And you want to shout from mountains all you’ve lost is found/But you can’t carry it around.” Wonderful, right? I also love the way the backing vocals work with Norma’s lead vocals on “Old Song,” particularly Gabe Minnikin’s vocals, on the line “It’s an old song you’ve been playing too long.” The results are so enjoyable. “Old Song” also provides this album with its title in the lines, “I’m not saying you should burn the tapes/I’m just saying let’s see what difference that it makes.”

Gabe Minnikin provides the second set of lead vocals on the duet, “Lighten Up,” a song that begins with some dark-sounding percussion. This one features some really good and interesting lyrics, Norma starting the song with these lines: “My heart is heavy like old books in a trunk/That I read back in high school/While my friends got drunk/Been dragging behind me since I was a kid/I should’ve left some behind me/Oh, but I never did.” And Gabe takes the second verse: “My heart is aching like that tooth I lost/After that misunderstanding/In the church parking lot/Oh, how I pushed it, how I worked it loose/But some things they hold rooted/And sometimes it’s no use.” This song grabs me every time, and is a highlight of the disc.

“Hard To Get Back” is another highlight, Norma's voice one of both innocence and experience. “Back in the day we used to say/You can’t stand still if it’s not in your bones/And we were right/And chased the lights/But I never thought it’d be so hard to get back home.” Phil Sedore plays accordion, and Dan MacCormack plays mandolin on this track.

CD Track List

1. Company
2. Blue As A Jay
3. You Can’t Carry It Around
4. Old Song
5. Before We Say Goodnight
6. Daysleeper
7. Lighten Up
8. Accidental Guest
9. To Nebraska
10. Hard To Get Back

Burn The Tapes was released on June 9, 2015. I can’t wait to hear more from Norma MacDonald. I need to get her other three CDs soon.

Fool’s Gold: “Flying Lessons” (2015) CD Review

Fool’s Gold is a fun Los Angeles-based pop band made up of Luke Top on lead vocals and bass; Lewis Pesacov on lead guitar; Garret Ray on drums; Brad Caulkins on saxophone, keyboard and guitar; and Salvador Placencia III on percussion. Their new album, Flying Lessons, is their third (following 2011’s Leave No Trace), and features all original music written by Luke Top and Lewis Pesacov. It was originally released on orange vinyl on Record Store Day, as a limited edition, and is now available on CD.

Flying Lessons kicks off with “I’m In Love,” which was the first single released from this album (there is also an interesting animated video for this song). This was the song that got me interested in the band, as I hadn’t heard their earlier CDs. Just a few seconds into this song, with that cool percussion intro, I was hooked, and after listening to the track a few times, I was eager to hear more from them. I’m always a sucker for a good beat that gets me dancing, but this song has a lot more to offer. It has a really nice vibe to it, a joy to its sound without any hint of cheesiness, and some good vocals. And of course I love that percussion section halfway through.

That’s followed by “Lady Of The Lake,” and again it’s the percussion that starts off this song. This one has kind of a 1980s thing to it which I really dig. What I love most about this one is the vocals. And then check out the great bass line to “Break The Cycle.” There’s a nice funky edge to this groovy pop tune, and I particularly like the instrumental section partway through. And then later there is an even better instrumental section, with saxophone over that great rhythm. That’s one of my favorite moments of the album. “You know I won’t give up.”

“Another Sun” is one of the CD’s highlights. It has such a bright, positive feel to it almost from the start that you immediately fall for it, and from there it just gets better. It’s just an all-round damn good song. “Why don’t we try to give it all away/But hold on to us.” And it’s followed by another of my favorites, “Wildflower,” which has a mellow, sweet groove, and is still somehow incredibly catchy. This is another that I loved immediately. “You lost your way, but it’s okay to be alone.”

“Flying Lessons,” the album’s title track, has more positive vibes and a rhythm to get you moving and smiling. “I won’t hold my breath/Standing still can lead to sudden death.” The album then concludes with “Ta’alumah,” which has lyrics in Hebrew.

CD Track List

1. I’m In Love
2. Lady Of The Lake
3. Break The Cycle
4. Another Sun
5. Wildflower
6. Devotion
7. Don’t Be Like Them
8. Flying Lessons
9. Ta’alumah 

Flying Lessons was released on May 19, 2015.

Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band: “Not That Kind Of Girl” (2015) CD Review

Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band is a Los Angeles-based band playing a mix of bluegrass and folk music. Their new release, Not That Kind Of Girl, features some wonderful original material, as well as some interesting covers. It also features some excellent guest musicians, like Herb Pedersen and Chris Hillman, both of The Desert Rose Band. (And of course you know Chris Hillman from his work with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Herb Pedersen from The Laurel Canyon Ramblers and the revamped Old & In The Way.) Herb Pedersen also produced this album, which follows the 2013 release, White Swan. 

Not That Kind Of Girl opens with “Independence,” a nice instrumental with a sweet, pleasant vibe, Mark Indictor’s fiddle acting like a voice. There is something quite pretty about this track, and it seems designed to make us feel good, and to that end it certainly works. “Independence” was written by Robert Carlson. Also written by Carlson is the album’s title track, which provides more sweet, easygoing vibes. It’s a good tune, and I love his guitar-playing on this track. Susie Glaze’s vocals have a sort of bright and playful innocence, as she sings, “When summer sunlight fills the sky, I’ll walk with you/When tears fall from your eyes, I’ll be there too.” Herb Pedersen provides harmony vocals.

“Heartland,” by Irish songwriter Denise Hagan, has a more serious sound. Susie Glaze really shines on this one, her voice full of emotion, powerful yet delicate. “Still don’t ask me why I am still here/The urge for returning gets worse every year.” The group also covers David Olney’s “Millionaire,” with Steve Rankin taking lead vocal duties. “I’m bad but I don’t care, boys/I’m going to be a millionaire.” This is such a great song, and Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band do a fantastic job with it. It’s one of my favorite tracks. I love that powerful moment when the band comes in. (Slaid Cleaves has also covered this song.) The band then takes a humorous turn with a wonderful rendition of Henry Hipkens’ “That’s How I Learned To Sing The Blues,” with lines like “You find a good girl and treat her wrong/Then feel sorry about it when she’s gone/You’ll beg her back, but she’ll refuse/That’s how I learned to sing the blues.” Fred Sanders sings lead on this track. I love that moment with the fiddle taking the lead, nearly two minutes in.

Herb Pedersen plays banjo on “The Mountain,” a really good bluegrass tune written by Robert Carlson and James Eric Carlson. This is another of the disc’s highlights, and I really like the way the backing vocals work with Susie’s lead, sounding just perfect. There is even a short, but excellent a cappella moment near the end.

Susie Glaze performs “Dens Of Yarrow,” a traditional ballad, in the traditional way, with just the accompaniment of fiddle and accordion, and the results are gorgeous and moving. That is Skip Edwards on accordion, by the way. She also covers J.D. Souther’s “Prisoner In Disguise” (from his 2011 CD, Natural History), and it is on this song that Chris Hillman joins the band on mandolin. Herb Pedersen is on lead guitar, resonator guitar and backing vocals.

Another highlight for me is the cover of Ernest Troost's “The Last To Leave.” This is one of those beautiful, deliciously sad songs, and the lines “Since you have gone on that Greyhound to Boston/I'm still kind of lost in the reasons why/My heart, my heart is always the first to believe/My heart, my heart is always the last to leave” have the power to wreck me. Susie Glaze does such a great job with this song. The album then concludes with “Never Give Up,” written by Robert Carlson and David Walter Hanson. At one point, it takes on almost a reggae feel, and then a bit later dips into “If I Had A Hammer.” Joe Craven joins the band on percussion on this track.

CD Track List

1. Independence
2. Not That Kind Of Girl
3. Heartland
4. Millionaire
5. That’s How I Learned To Sing The Blues
6. The Mountain
7. Don’t Resist Me
8. This Old House
9. Dens Of Yarrow
10. Prisoner In Disguise
11. The Last To Leave
12. Never Give Up

Not That Kind Of Girl was released on June 12, 2015.

The Dream Syndicate: “The Days Of Wine And Roses” (1982/2015) CD Review

The Days Of Wine And Roses was the first full-length album from The Dream Syndicate, originally released in 1982.  It’s a fantastic album, coming at a pivotal time in music, when dance-pop was about to take over, and punk and rock seemed to take a back seat. So The Days Of Wine And Roses was unlike most of the other albums of the time. Obviously, the Velvet Underground had a big influence on this band, which you can hear in the general sound and vocal approach, but The Dream Syndicate carved its own path. The Days Of Wine And Roses features some of my favorite Dream Syndicate tunes, like “That’s What You Always Say” and “Halloween.” Certain lines stand out for me on this album, like “And it seems like the end of the world/When you smile.” This album has been out of print for a while now, which is nearly criminal. But Omnivore Recordings is releasing a new edition, with several previously unreleased bonus tracks, and new liner notes. The liner notes include thoughts on the album and on the band by Nigel Cross, Byron Coley, Matt Piucci, Tom Stevens, Bill See, Dan Stuart, Gary Stewart, Chris Morris, Steve Shelley, Ella (of Ella And The Blacks) and Pat Thomas. The bonus tracks are all rehearsal recordings, so they have a deliciously raw sound. Fans of the band should be pleased. This album has aged really well; that is to say, it hasn’t aged at all. It still sounds fresh and exciting.

The album opens with “Tell Me When It’s Over.” Here is a taste of the lyrics, written by Steve Wynn, “And I really don't know/'Cause I don't wanna know/Yeah, tell me when it's over/Tell me when it's over/Oh, let me know when it's done.” Steve certainly sounds like Lou Reed on this track. It’s a really good song, but I think the following tune, “Definitely Clean,” is even better. It has a good, steady beat, some wonderful guitars, and a kind of serious yet playful vocal delivery. “I'm just standing here waiting/For you to come clean/I'm just standing here waiting/For you to come clean/I'd ask you what you want/But I don't think you'd know what I mean.”

“That’s What You Always Say” is one of my personal favorites. Right from its opening, it grabs me every time. I love that bass line, I love the beat, I love when the guitars come bursting in. It’s just a perfect song. And there is something of a sense of humor in the lyrics: “I try to sit and talk with you/But you know how our moods change all the time/I try to wait a week or two/But by then I'll probably change my mind.” The entire album is really strong, but even among excellent tracks, this one is a stand-out.

“Halloween” is another favorite, this one written by Karl Precoda. Halloween is the best holiday, and this song should certainly be on your holiday playlist. I love the way the somewhat relaxed vocals work in conjunction with the loud guitars, creating a cool, unusual vibe. And then there is that wonderful change nearly three minutes into the tune for that instrumental section, which might actually be my favorite part of the song. It becomes a great jam. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “And you're gonna be mine/On Halloween/He says you shouldn't believe the things in papers/They can't come true/And don't believe the things that you see on TV/’Cause they'll never happen to you/No, no, not on Halloween.”

“Too Little, Too Late” features Kendra Smith on lead vocals. Kendra would leave the band the following year and then play with Rainy Day and Opal. I wish she had recorded more with The Dream Syndicate, because “Too Little, Too Late” is another of the album’s highlights, in large part because of her vocals. The original album then concludes with its title track, yet one more excellent song. “The priest from the parish is looking for persuasion/The man with the notepad wants verification/Somebody says this was my creation/Everybody says I don’t care, no, I don’t care.” This one turns into a nice, loud punk jam (if such a thing is possible).

Bonus Tracks

This CD contains six bonus tracks, all of which were previously unreleased. These are rehearsal recordings, all from 1982.  The first, “Is It Rolling, Bob,” is from December 9th of that year, and is a short instrumental track. Also from that same rehearsal comes “A Reason.” It has a different feel, and I like it, though I do wish the vocals were a little louder because it’s difficult to make out some of the lyrics.

Even more exciting are the two tracks from a rehearsal held on December 27, 1982. Both of these songs – “Still Holding On To You” and “Armed With An Empty Gun” – would end up on the band’s 1984 release, Medicine Show. But here are early rehearsals of the songs while Kendra was still a member of the band. There is a bit of banter before they begin the great, raw rendition of “Still Holding On To You,” and more banter at the end, with Kendra asking, “What’s that one called?” This version of “Armed With An Empty Gun” is a loud, forceful, energetic take, without the piano of the album version.

The bonus tracks also include a tune titled “Like Mary,” from a rehearsal on February 24, 1982. After a brief bit of banter, the song begins with a kind of trippy vibe before kicking in. This is a seriously good song, and pretty damn catchy, and I wonder why the band didn't return to it later. This CD then concludes with “Outside The Dream Syndicate,” a nice long jam from a rehearsal in January of 1982.

CD Track List

1. Tell Me When It’s Over
2. Definitely Clean
3. That’s What You Always Say
4. Then She Remembers
5. Halloween
6. When You Smile
7. Until Lately
8. Too Little, Too Late
9. The Days Of Wine And Roses
10. Is It Rolling, Bob?
11. A Reason
12. Still Holding On To You
13. Armed With An Empty Gun
14. Like Mary
15. Outside The Dream Syndicate 

This special re-issue of The Days Of Wine And Roses is scheduled to be released on June 16, 2015 through Omnivore Recordings. Last year Omnivore Recordings released The Day Before Wine And Roses,  a set of music The Dream Syndicate performed at KPFK in September of 1982, including a few of the songs from this album.

Carl Hall: “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love: The Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-1972” (2015) CD Review

Carl Hall is a singer you might not be all that familiar with, but the new compilation, You Don’t Know Nothing About Love: The Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-1972, should change that. He was an incredible soul singer that started in gospel and then switched to more mainstream music, even interpreting some of the popular tunes of the day, including songs by The Beatles and Jefferson Airplane. He released a few singles between 1967 and 1972, none of which reached the charts (which is unbelievable). He later performed on Broadway, and had a brief appearance in the 1979 film version of Hair (in the “Colored Spade” number), and that film appearance was the only thing I knew him from before listening to this CD. Most of these tracks in this collection were previously unreleased, and some include bits of studio banter, including the counting off of songs (and a couple of tracks end abruptly). Carl Hall had such an impressive voice, with power and range and emotion. Several of these songs were written by Jerry Ragovoy, a songwriter that Janis Joplin covered quite a bit, and Hall's voice has a similar energy and force. This collection includes liner notes by Bill Dahl.

This CD opens with its title track, “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love,” an excellent song about what love can do to you, and what you will do for love. Check out these lyrics: “Did you ever feel like dirt/Did you ever give up all of your pride/Just to have her by your side/Well, if you don’t know what I’m talking about/You don’t know nothing, you don’t know nothing, you don’t know nothing, you don’t know nothing about love.” And you can hear the experience, the anguish and, yes, even the joy in his voice as he sings about love. “And when she’s turned you, when she’s turned you inside out/Then and only then will you know just what I’m talking about.” “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love” written by Jerry Ragovoy (who also produced Hall’s recordings) and released as a single with “Mean It Baby.” “Mean It Baby” has a sweeter sound with a bit more of a pop vibe.

“He’ll Never Love You” has a lush, full sound backing Hall’s powerful vocals. This is a song you can sink your teeth into, as Carl Hall does. And it comes across as a fact when he sings, “You know he’s never going to love you like I do.” This is a seriously good track. It’s followed by “It Was You (That I Needed),” a gorgeous, slow number that Carl Hall wrote. Check out his vocals on lines like, “Life was empty, it was meaningless and bare/But you changed all that with your tender loving care/Once I was not the trusting kind/But you’ve completely changed my mind/Oh, it was you that I needed all the time.” And things get even more wild and moving from there. There are moments when the emotion carries him away, and those are some of the song’s best moments (and some of this CD’s best moments). What a wonderful song. There is another take of this song included toward the end of this compilation.

“The Dam Busted” is an energetic and fantastically fun number that was released as a single in 1968. “You were just like a piece of good meat to a starving dog/When I feasted my eyes on you, I knew I had to have it all.” Also included on this CD is another version of the song, recorded in 1971. This is one of the tracks that ends abruptly. The flip side to the 1968 “The Dam Busted” single is “I Don’t Wanna Be (Your Used To Be),” and this is one of my favorite tracks. It’s a song about wanting to get back together with a woman. He sings, “I’m gonna be by your side the way it used to be” and “But look at me begging on my bending knee, baby, please let me get back to you.” How could anyone refuse him after hearing this song? “I Don’t Wanna Be (Your Used To Be)” was written by Jerry Ragovoy, Carl Hall and Van McCoy.

“Sometimes I Do” is a bit of funky fun with a great energy, and is another of my personal favorites from this collection. Carl Hall really belts this one out. I just wish it didn’t have that abrupt ending. His version of “Time Is On My Side,” written by Jerry Ragovoy (under the pen name Norman Meade), begins with a tiny bit of studio banter. This song is best known for the rendition by The Rolling Stones. Carl Hall gives it a different spin. This CD also includes a second version, the second take, which also includes the short, false start of the first take. I love when he repeats “You'll come running back, you'll come running back, you'll come running back, running, running to me.”

Carl Hall does an interesting rendition of The Beatles’ “The Long And Winding Road.” Listen to the way he holds onto the word “long” toward the end of the track. And the last section of the song is entirely his own, and is wonderful. And his version of Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody To Love,” here titled “Need Somebody To Love,” is also quite different from the original. It sometimes has the feel of a big production number, which takes a bit of getting used to. But it has a funky base and some excellent vocals, and I ended up digging it.

CD Track List

1. You Don’t Know Nothing About Love
2. Mean It Baby
3. Just Like I Told You
4. He’ll Never Love You
5. It Was You (That I Needed)
6. The Dam Busted
7. I Don’t Wanna Be (Your Used To Be)
8. Dance Dance Dance
9. What Kind Of Fool Am I?
10. Sometimes I Do
11. The Long And Winding Road
12. It’s Been Such A Long Way Home
13. Time Is On My Side
14. Need Somebody To Love
15. Change With The Seasons
16. Just Like I Told You (Take 7)
17. It Was You (That I Needed) (Take 12)
18. The Dam Busted (1971 Remake)
19. Time Is On My Side (Takes 1 & 2)

You Don’t Know Nothing About Love: The Loma/Atlantic Recordings 1967-1972 is scheduled to be released on June 23, 2015 through Omnivore Recordings. 

Little Richard: “Directly From My Heart: The Best Of The Specialty & Vee-Jay Years” (2015) CD Box Set Review

When I think of rock and roll, the kind that moved people either to dance wildly or to cry out that the youth of the country was going to hell, two names always come to mind: Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. Those two really embodied that seemingly reckless, restless abandon that is always so attractive. And they played some damn good music. And unlike someone like Elvis Presley, for example, Little Richard actually wrote or co-wrote most of his material, and it’s among the best of the early rock and roll years. Concord Music Group has now released a box set of Little Richard’s music, Directly From My Heart: The Best Of The Specialty & Vee-Jay Years, which contains sixty-four tracks on three discs, including those fantastic hits he’s known for, plus some equally good though lesser known tunes. The box set also includes a booklet, with liner notes by Billy Vera (with quite a lot of information about Little Richard's early career) and a whole lot of photos.

Disc One

This set opens with “Lonesome And Blue,” a slower number that has a certain sexiness. The vocals are smoother at times than you might expect, but then check out his delivery when he repeats, “I need you every day/I can’t go on this way.” Oh yes, the power is there. This is a very cool song. “Wonderin’” has something of a standard feel, but I’ve always been a sucker for that rhythm, for that vibe. (There is a second version of “Wonderin’” on this disc, with overdubs). I’m also really fond of “Maybe I’m Right,” and surprisingly it’s the backing vocals that make it one of my favorites. I love hearing Little Richard backed that way. It’s usually not necessary, what with the power and energy of his vocals on their own, but the backing vocals sound particularly good here. Likewise on “Directly From My Heart,” the song used as the title for this collection. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.”

“Tutti Frutti” is the song that really got things going for Little Richard. Billy Vera, in his liner notes, talks about how the original lyrics were a lot raunchier. I would love to hear a recording of those original lyrics, with the line “Tutti Frutti, good bootie.” Oh yes! Still, the released version is such an excellent song, and lines like “I got a girl named Sue/She knows just what to do” leave no question as to what he means. And then listen to “Heeby-Jeebies Love.” Hmm…

The first disc also includes the lively hits “Slippin’ And Slidin’ (Peepin’ And Hidin’)” and “Long Tall Sally (The Thing).” “Have some fun tonight/Everything’s all right.” Two of my favorite hits of his were written by John Marascalco and Robert Blackwell: “Ready Teddy” and “Rip It Up.” I also love his version of Leiber and Stoller’s “Kansas City.” Little Richard’s own “I Got It” is also a whole lot of fun, with lines like, “It ain’t what you eat, it’s the way how you chew it.”

Disc Two

The second disc includes a lot of his most well-known songs, opening with “Lucille,” which reached #1 on the R&B chart, and #21 on the pop chart. I love that great rough energy that marks his vocal delivery. “Lucille” was written by Little Richard and Albert Collins. “She’s Got It” is so much fun, written by Little Richard and John Marascalco. This one reached #9 on the R&B chart. “Jenny, Jenny” reached #2 on the R&B chart, and #10 on the pop chart. Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels combined this song with “C.C. Rider” for their tune “Jenny Take A Ride.” Another huge hit, “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” was written by John Marascalco and Robert Blackwell. It reached #4 on the R&B chart, and #10 on the pop chart. The Detroit Wheels also covered this one, combining it with “Devil With A Blue Dress On.” And of course CCR did a great version of it. But Little Richard’s remains the best version, at least as far as I’m concerned.

“The Girl Can’t Help It” was written by Bobby Troup and used as the title song to the 1956 film, but for me it’s always tied to a very different movie, Pink Flamingos. The song plays as Divine struts through town, carrying a fur, and then squats in front of someone’s home. It’s a cool sequence, and an excellent song. Another highlight of the second disc is “Keep A Knockin’,” which reached #2 on the R&B chart, and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. “You said you love me and you can’t come in.”

One that wasn’t a hit, but which I particularly enjoy, is the ridiculously fun “I’ll Never Let You Go (Boo Hoo Hoo Hoo).” I love Little Richard’s vocal delivery; he really gets into it, fooling around and having a fine time. And “Poor Boy Paul” is also a deliciously silly and fun tune, a recording I don't think I'd heard before.

Disc Three

The third disc has a lot more covers than the other discs, and opens with some very cool blues. Little Richard covers Fats Domino and Alvin E. Young’s “Goin’ Home Tomorrow,” and does an excellent job with it. The song has a rough, raw edge that works perfectly. That is followed by a kind of funky rendition of “Goodnight Irene.” I absolutely love this track, but it fades out way too soon. It’s just under two minutes. He also does a great version of “Lawdy Miss Clawdy.” And his version of “Blueberry Hill” is unlike any other version I’ve heard, and announces itself as something different right from the odd start. “I – woo – I – woo – I – woo- I found my thrill…”

“Short Fat Fanny” is a fun track that makes references to a lot of other early rock tunes. I also really like “My Wheels They Are Slippin’ All The Way,” one of the third disc’s original songs. One of the other originals, “It Ain’t Whatcha Do (It’s The Way That You Do It),” takes its main lines from “I Got It”: “It ain’t whatcha do, it’s the way how you do it/It ain’t what you eat, it’s the way how you chew it.” I guess Little Richard liked those lines as much as I do. I also like this line: “Do it well or not at all.”

“Without Love” is a beautiful song, but I’d never heard Little Richard’s rendition before. It was Jerry Garcia’s version (from Run For The Roses) that first turned me on to this tune. Little Richard delivers a smooth, sweet, almost delicate vocal performance at the start, giving him plenty of room to go when the song bursts open for the chorus. It’s a really nice rendition.

“I Don’t Know What You’ve Got But It’s Got Me,” written by Dan Covay, reached #12 on the R&B chart (though only #92 on the Billboard Hot 100). This excellent track features Jimi Hendrix on guitar. On the single, it was divided into two parts, with one part on each side. This collection then ends with Little Richard dipping into country with his cover of Hank Williams’ “Why Don’t You Love Me (Like You Used To Do).” And it’s surprisingly good.

Rather than write out the entire track list (more than sixty tracks), I’ve taken a photo of the back of the box, which lists all the songs. Here it is:

Directly From My Heart: The Best Of The Specialty & Vee-Jay Years was released on June 2, 2015 through Concord Music Group.

Solitaire Miles: “Susie Blue And The Lonesome Fellas” (2015) CD Review

Solitaire Miles is known for her gorgeous jazz vocals. Her version of “Moonlight Serenade,” sung in French as “Serenade De Clair De Lune,” for example (from her Born To Be Blue album), is absolutely stunning. On her new release, Susie Blue And The Lonesome Fellas, she goes in a somewhat new direction, delving into country and western swing. The results are wonderful. Her band for this album includes some of the same folks who’ve played jazz with her, including Neal Alger, Larry Kohut and Phil Gratteau. And she also adds fiddle and slide guitar.

Solitaire Miles kicks off the new album with a fun rendition of Cindy Walker’s “I Hear You Talkin.’” It has more of an upbeat, positive feel than some earlier versions. There is some nice work on fiddle by Stuart Rosenberg, and on guitar by Neal Alger. It’s a great start to the album, and is followed by “I Gotta Have My Baby Back,” an excellent song written by Floyd Tillman, who had a country hit with it back in the late 1940s. Solitaire Miles’ version is perfect, with vocals both smooth and heartbreaking, as she tells us she can’t sleep and can’t eat because she misses her baby. I love the line “Jukebox is playing songs about you,” for it’s not songs that remind her of him, but songs directly about him, which is a stronger way of wording it. This is one of my favorite tracks of this CD, and I actually think it’s a better version than the original. When she sings “Come on home,” who could resist?

“Blue Lonlies” is a song written by Gwil Owen and David Olney. I would love to know what’s up with the spelling “Lonlies.” Shouldn’t it be “Lonelies”? Not that it’s a real word, either way. Well, no matter. It’s a good song. My favorite part is the sax solo by Eric Schneider, which briefly takes the song to a different level. I much prefer the following track, “I’m A Fool To Care,” composed by Ted Daffan (misspelled as “Daffin” on the CD case), and famously covered by Les Paul and Mary Ford in the 1950s. Solitaire Miles’ rendition is kind of sexy, and I love when she dips low for “to care” early on. I also love the guitar work during the instrumental section.

Solitaire Miles does the duet “I’ll Never Be Free,” written by Benny Benjamin and George David Weiss, and originally recorded by Kay Starr and Tennessee Ernie. Here it is Neal Alger taking on the second vocal duties, and doing a fine job. The vocals are at the heart of this track, of course, but TC Furlong’s work on slide guitar and Neal Alger’s work on guitar really add a lot to my enjoyment of this one. And then each musician has a moment to shine on “You Can’t Break My Heart” during the instrumental section, which features some light, breezy playing on the keys by Tom Hope, and then the fiddle engaged in a dance with the guitars.

Solitaire Miles opened this album with a Cindy Walker tune, and she returns twice more to compositions by that songwriter: “Me & The Man In The Moon” and “Love Is A Lingering Thing.” Cindy Walker is perhaps best known for writing “You Don’t Know Me,” which has been covered by many artists over the years, including Ray Charles and Patti Page. Willie Nelson even used it as the title for his 2006 album of Cindy Walker songs. “Me & The Man In The Moon” has a playful vibe, due mainly to Solitaire’s delightful vocal approach. I also really like Larry Kohut’s work on bass. And then it is Stuart Rosenberg on fiddle and TC Furlong on slide guitar that make “Love Is A Lingering Thing” something special.

Solitaire covers Lefty Frizzell’s “Cigarette And Coffee Blues.” This song originally came out in the 1950s, but it’s odd to hear a peppy song about smoking cigarettes these days, because you can’t help but think, “Don’t you know who awful those things are for you, how they make you smell and age you before your time?” She then ends the album with a really interesting take on “Ghost Riders In The Sky,” different from most versions I've heard, though similar to Kay Starr's approach. This track is one of the highlights for me, and I really like Eric Schneider's work on sax.

CD Track List

1. I Hear You Talkin’
2. I Gotta Have My Baby Back            
3. Blue Lonlies
4. I’m A Fool To Care
5. I’ll Never Be Free
6. You Can’t Break My Heart
7. Me & The Man In The Moon
8. Crazy Cause I Love You
9. Love Is A Lingering Thing
10. Cigarette And Coffee Blues
11. Hang Your Head In Shame
12. Ghost Riders In The Sky

Musicians

Musician joining Solitaire Miles on this release include Neal Alger on guitar and vocals, Eric Schneider on saxophone, Stuart Rosenberg on fiddle, TC Furlong on slide guitar, Tom Hope on piano, Larry Kohut on bass and Phil Gratteau on drums.

Susie Blue And The Lonesome Fellas was released on June 2, 2015 on Seraphic Records.