Laurie Jane & The 45s: “Late Last Night – Elixir Of Sara Martin” (2018) CD Review

If you are suffering from anxiety during these frightening and infuriating times and are looking for music to make you feel like part of the human race again, one album you ought to give a listen to is Late Last Night – Elixir Of Sara Martin, the 2018 release from Laurie Jane & The 45s. The music is blues, but a fun brand of blues that features some wonderful female lead vocals. This album follows their 2017 release, Midnight Jubilee, and finds them paying tribute to Sara Martin, a tremendous voice in blues, born in Louisville, the same city that Laurie Jane & The 45s call home. Several of the tracks on this disc were written or co-written by Sara Martin, who put out a lot of great records in the 1920s.

The album opens with a grooving rendition of “Late Last Night,” the title track, a song written by Sara Martin. This version is driven by the guitar, and features some nice work on saxophone, the music having a modern feel. “Late last night when I took morphine/I took it to ease my pain/If it had not have been for the doctor, oh lord/I’d been in my grave today.” That’s followed by a seriously fun version of “Achin’ Hearted Blues,” a song written by Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams and Clarence Johnson, and recorded by Sara Martin in 1923. Laurie Jane Duggins gives a strong and totally enjoyable vocal performance. Yet, as good as that vocal performance is, it is nothing compared to what Laurie Jane gives us next on “Blind Man Blues.”  This is such a delicious track, in large part because of her fantastic vocal performance. Wow, she completely inhabits and owns this song. Plus, there is some gloriously expressive work from the horn, and it’s like a duet between Laurie Jane and the horn. And if that’s not enough for you, there is also some good work on both piano and guitar. This is my favorite track on the album.

On “Strange Lovin’ Blues,” they give the track a scratchy effect to make it sound like an old recording, like Sara Martin’s original recording from the mid-1920s. But that is so unnecessary. This band has captured the vibe and excitement and sound of the earlier times without needing to resort to this rather obvious device. Anyway, they deliver a nice raw rendition of this song, which was written by Sara Martin. That scratchy old record sound effect is used again on “Pleading Blues.” I understand the appeal and the desire to use it, but again it’s just unnecessary. Plus, I thought the idea was to bring this music to the present, to deliver it as a living thing, like it is happening right now. The effect is also used on “Atlanta Blues,” and here it seems even more dominant, making Laurie Jane’s vocals fight it for our attention. At the end, there is even the sound of the needle being lifted from the record, which is silly.

Things get popping and rocking with Laurie Jane & The 45s’ version of “Sugar Blues.” “Have you heard these blues?” she asks, and the saxophone answers for us. And when she sings that these are the sweetest blues we’ve ever heard, ain’t nobody gonna argue with her. This is a lot of fun. It’s followed by “My Man Blues.” This track has a cool, sly style and vibe, along the lines of what Sara Martin did on her original rendition. I love it, even though it contains the dreaded “self”/”shelf” rhyme. And I love that instrumental section halfway through, with some nice work on both guitar and piano. “Can’t Find Nobody To Do Like My Daddy Do” is another fun track, with a delicious rhythm. I love the drums and bass here. “Oh, how it hurts when he says goodbye,” Laurie Jane sings, and yet she has a delightful energy and joy about her. And isn’t that a great thing about the blues? You can sing of heartache, of troubles, and feel so goddamn good doing it. This track rocks and moves, one to get you on your feet, or at least dancing in your chair. The band’s rendition of “I’m Gonna Be A Lovin’ Old Soul” is a rocking blues number, another fun track featuring some good work on piano. “If you don’t like my peaches, let my peach tree be/And if you don’t like my loving, honey, stay away from me.” The album then concludes with “‘Tain’t Nobody’s Bu’ness If I Do,” which has that scratchy record effect, but fortunately only for the first few moments. After that, we are right there with the music. This rendition is a total delight. It is fun and playful, and by the end it is like a celebration. A celebration of music, of life, of freedom. I love the horns. This track fades out, giving us the impression that the celebration continues.

CD Track List

1. Late Last Night
2. Achin’ Hearted Blues
3. Blind Man Blues
4. Strange Lovin’ Blues
5. Sugar Blues
6. My Man Blues
7. Joe Turner Blues
8. Can’t Find Nobody To Do Like My Daddy Do
9. Pleading Blues
10. Atlanta Blues
11. I’m Gonna Be A Lovin’ Old Soul
12. ‘Tain’t Nobody’s Bus’ness If I Do

Late Last Night – Elixir Of Sara Martin was released on October 13, 2018.

Bruce Cockburn: “Crowing Ignites” (2019) CD Review

In 2005, accomplished singer and songwriter Bruce Cockburn released an album of instrumental tracks titled Speechless, which was a compilation of new and previously released material. He has now followed that up with a second instrumental album, this time with all new material titled Crowing Ignites. On some tracks, he performs solo. On others, he is joined by a few musicians. All tracks feature his superb and passionate guitar work. Bruce Cockburn takes us to a lot of different places on this album, each track with its own distinct style and feel. While we are stuck inside our homes during the coronavirus pandemic, this album provides a way to do a little traveling.

The album opens with “Bardo Rush,” with a pretty and bright feel to some of the guitar work, while that steady groove keeps things moving forward with a sense of urgency. While Bruce Cockburn’s guitar is the dominant instrument, on this track he is joined by Bo Carper on shakers and Janice Powers on keys. The work on keys adds an interesting atmospheric texture, and creates a more expansive landscape. That’s followed by “Easter,” this one performed by Bruce solo. This is a good time to be listening to this track, obviously. In the disc’s liner notes, he indicates that he came up with the idea for this tune on Easter of 2018. This one has a sweet, relaxed feel at first, and for me conjures up images of family gatherings, which is wonderful particularly for those of us who miss our families during these frightening times. There is a change partway through, with the guitar picking up the tempo a bit, adding more excitement to the piece. There is a good deal of cheer to the playing, and this track should raise your spirits. “April In Memphis” is also performed by Bruce Cockburn solo. He plays chimes as well as guitar on this one, and the chimes have a spiritual feel, adding an interesting layer to the track. This one pulls us in and takes us on something of an emotional journey, at times having a pretty, even delicate sound, and other times adding just a bit of blues. This track also breathes, creating these interesting spaces where we might anticipate the next step.

Blind Willie Johnson sang and played the blues, and is known for the recordings he did in the late 1920s. The track “Blind Willie” is named after him, and on it we certainly get a heavier dose of blues, but blues with a good groove. Bo Carper is again on shakers, and Colin Linden joins Bruce Cockburn on dobro on this track. There is a delightful energy to this one, and it becomes a wonderful little jam that I wish would go on a bit longer. Bruce Cockburn then switches gears with “Seven Daggers,” which features kalimba. In addition to 12-string guitar and kalimba, Bruce plays sansula (which actually is a variation of a kalimba), charango (which is a type of lute), dulcimer, chimes and bells. He is joined by Colin Linden on baritone guitar. This one has a strange, otherworldly vibe at its core, mysterious and spiritual. There is something beautiful and intriguing about this track. Things then get jazzy with “The Mt. Lefroy Waltz,” with Ron Miles on cornet, Robert Occhipinti on bass, and Gary Craig on drums. This track eases in, and once it gets going it feels like it is taking place at some secret club where the music goes all night while other unusual activities are happening.

We then get “Sweetness and Light,” and, boy, “Sweetness And Light” is the perfect title for this track. That’s exactly what it sounds like, a tune to make us all feel a bit better. Things are rather stressful, and as some of us enter our second month of unemployment and the money is beginning to run out, we need music like this to ease our minds, to lift us up. There is a welcoming sound to this track. This is one that Bruce Cockburn performs solo on guitar. That’s followed by “Angels In The Half Light,” another solo performance. It is interesting, for this one has a rather earthly groove. If these are angels, then they have become flesh and blood, and are right here in the room with us, with pulses and appetites, some fairly dark. But it feels that we will all pull through. We then go back to the blues realm with “The Groan,” which has a steady groove. In addition to guitar, Bruce Cockburn plays some percussion on this track. He is joined by Colin Linden on mandolin. Bruce, Colin, Janice Powers, Daniel Keebler, Celia Shacklett and Iona Cockburn also provide handclaps on this one, an interesting and unexpected element. Bruce Cockburn plays guitar and dulcimer on “Pibroch: The Wind In The Valley,” and is joined again by Janice Powers on keys. This one takes us to the rocky and green mountains of Scotland. This wonderful album then concludes with “Bells Of Gethsemane,” a track with an air of mystery to it, like something breaking open in the dawn, a dream-like presence that the tune is hoping to gain some control over, like a snake charmer or something. This is a solo performance. In addition to guitar, Bruce Cockburn is on singing bowls, Tibetan cymbals, gong and chimes. This becomes a fascinating and exciting track as it builds, particularly that guitar work.

CD Track List

1. Bardo Rush
2. Easter
3. April In Memphis
4. Blind Willie
5. Seven Daggers
6. The Mt. Lefroy Waltz
7. Sweetness And Light
8. Angels In The Half Light
9. The Groan
10. Pibroch: The Wind In The Valley
11. Bells Of Gethsemane

Crowing Ignites was released on September 20, 2019 on True North Records.

John Stewart: “Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos” (2020) CD Review

In 1961, when Dave Guard left the Kingston Trio, singer and songwriter John Stewart, a member of The Cumberland Three, was chosen to take his place. He quickly became an important member of the group, contributing material to every album they put out through 1966 (and actually writing the majority of the songs for the group’s 1966 LP Children Of The Morning). Even before joining the group, he had contributed the song “Molly Dee” to their Here We Go Again! album, and the song “Green Grasses” which was used as the flip side to the “Coo Coo – U” single, both in 1959.  So he was really making his living as a songwriter before making any sort of living as a singer and guitarist. The Kingston Trio effectively ended in 1967 (at least for a while), and John Stewart pursued a solo career, while also writing songs for other artists, such as “Daydream Believer” for The Monkees and “Runaway Train” for Roseanne Cash. Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos contains eighteen songs recorded between 1965 and 1968, and one track from 1959. And if some of these songs sound like they’d be right at home on a Kingston Trio album, well, that’s because some of them were. Several of these songs were included on the already mentioned Children Of The Morning album, though obviously with a different sound, being sung and played by three men. Several other songs heard here would find their way onto John Stewart’s first two solo albums, Signals Through The Glass and California Bloodlines. This release includes liner notes by Jim Moran, along with a few photos.

This disc opens with “Livin’ That Way,” an excellent song with a folk rock sound. Early on, after the lines “To my mother I did say/Never let me wander from finding my own way,” he pauses, then delivers the lines “But you can’t go on living like that day after day/You’ve got to know what the other folks say.” Indeed. It’s a strong moment, and is repeated throughout the song. The song ends with the line, “I really don’t care what the other folks say.” It’s a compelling start to this collection. That’s followed by “When You’ve Been Away For A Long Time,” a gentle and pretty song that The Kingston Trio included on Children Of The Morning. After hearing this rendition a few times, I think I actually prefer it to the more polished Kingston Trio version. This one somehow feels more heartfelt. Then check out these lines from “Down The Highway You Go”: “You who were beaten to the ground/People across this land all heard the sound/I’m glad you folks are brave/Because, my god, I’m sure afraid/As down this highway we go.” Those lines got right on top of me, and are as powerful now as they were in the 1960s. That’s followed by another song that ended up on Children Of The Morning, “Lock All The Windows.” The lines I always liked from this one are “L.A. is pretty and New York is cold/And Chicago is just an old story I’ve told.”

“Rambler Get On Board” is a wonderful folk song with a traditional sound and theme, riding the rails. That’s followed by “Shackles And Chains,” a song that would be included on John Stewart’s second solo album, California Bloodlines, where it has a full sound. Here it has more of a folk sound, and moves at a quick pace. Songs about aging are hitting me harder than they used to, which I suppose is no surprise. Anyway, “One More Chapter Is Gone” is one that both looks back and looks forward. “Now I laugh at the fears of my wilder years/When I think of how foolish I looked/One more chapter is gone.” I imagine different people will take this line differently: “But now I am learning the things I was yearning for never did really exist.” For me, it is a bit depressing.

“Children Of The Morning,” which would end up as the title track to The Kingston Trio’s 1966 LP, is here presented in a pretty rendition. It’s followed by another song that would be included on that 1966 LP, “The Spinnin’ Of The World.” That’s one of my favorite songs from that album, and this version has more of a raw sound with a youthful energy. We then get a demo of the song that would close out John Stewart’s first album on Capitol, “Draft Age,” here titled “Draft Age Today.” As you might guess, this version has more of a folk sound. For me, that gives it a more immediate sound, which only adds to its power. That’s followed by a song that would be included on California Bloodlines, “The Pirates Of Stone County Road,” featuring his wife Buffy Ford Stewart on backing vocals. She sings on two other tracks on this disc – “Big Sur” and “She Believes In Me.” “Big Sur” has a really cool sound, beginning with a catchy rhythm on guitar, and is one of my favorites. “She Believes In Me” is a sweet song that ended up on California Bloodlines. “She believes in losers, lord/She believes in me.” This collection concludes with a track recorded in 1959, a demo of “Hey Sarrey,” with John Stewart playing banjo, a fun way to end the disc.

CD Track List

1. Livin’ That Way
2. When You’ve Been Away For A Long Time
3. Down The Highway You Go
4. Lock All The Windows
5. Rambler Get On Board
6. Shackles & Chains
7. One More Chapter Is Gone
8. Being Born Again
9. Long Life
10. Children Of The Morning
11. The Spinnin’ Of The World
12. Draft Age Today
13. The Pirates Of Stone County Road
14. One Tiny Grain Of Sand
15. July, You’re A Woman
16. Big Sur
17. Mother Country
18. She Believes In Me
19. Hey Sarrey 

Old Forgotten Altars: The 1960s Demos is scheduled to be released on May 8, 2020 through Omnivore Recordings.

Chad Richard: “Worthy Cause” (2019) CD Review

Chad Richard is a singer and songwriter based in Texas. Last year he released Worthy Cause, an excellent album of original material, honest songs full of humanity and devoid of artifice. Joining him on this album are Walt Wilkins on guitar and percussion, Ray Rodriguez on drums and percussion, Bill Small on bass, Corby Schaub on lap steel, Chip Dolan on keys, Marian Brackney on violin and viola, Geoff Queen on steel guitar and dobro, Ron Flynt on bass and keys, and Tina Mitchell Wilkins on backing vocals.

The album opens with “Slow Rollin’ State Line,” an easygoing country number featuring some nice work on keys and strings. It’s a song about the Sabine, the area where Louisiana and Texas meet, where Chad Richard grew up. Matt Giles joins Chad on electric guitar on this track. It’s a good song, but the first time I listened to this album it was the second track, “Love Anyway,” that really got me on board. This is a beautiful, honest and important song, particularly these days when we feel we are getting screwed and being lied to daily. The message here is in the song’s title: “Love Anyway.” “People hurt people every day/No, that’s not okay/But love anyway.” It’s not always easy, but it is always the right way to go, we can feel that in our bones. This song is also about admitting our own shortcomings. “Grace and mercy live in every heart/Sometimes forgiving ourselves is the hardest part.” This one features some pretty work from Marian Brackney. It’s a wonderful song, and I highly recommend checking it out. That’s followed by another pretty and moving song, “German Angel,” which features an excellent, passionate vocal performance from Chad Richard. It’s a song told from the perspective of a ghost who chooses to remain in an earthly spot. “On the day I earned my wings, I heard a voice/Saying I could look after this place or I could leave/Choosing these limestone walls over streets of gold was not an easy choice/But this is close enough to heaven for me.” I like especially like this line: “And this old house is so full of love, I see no reason to make room for fear,” which includes a nice pause before “for fear.”

“Right Now” has a happier, brighter country sound. This one too seems to, at least partly, celebrate a certain place, which seems a theme of these songs: “And I’m not looking to go nowhere/I am as happy here as anywhere I’ve found/On this little piece of ground.” It’s interesting that he sings of trying to slow things down, because this song moves along with a decent energy, and a beat that seems to say it’s okay to move forward. “The past can conjure up regrets/And the future, well, it ain’t even happened yet/All that matters is right now.” Well, yes, sort of, but we do need to keep an eye on the future to ensure that there is one. That’s followed by “Worthy Cause,” the album’s title track. I think Chad Richard is at his very best on these slower, pensive numbers. This song is beautiful and stirring, yet still with some humor, heard in a line like “I can put both feet in my mouth quicker than you can blink.” This track features some wonderful work on steel guitar. I also like that while this song is called “Worthy Cause,” Chad at first sings “You put up with me for no good cause.” Though of course soon he sings that he is grateful she found him to be a worthy cause. Ah, that is how so many of us feel, I bet. This is a gorgeous love song, and his vocal approach toward the end reminds me of Martin Sexton. “And I’m so grateful somehow you find me useful/Enough to see past my faults/And believe loving me is worthy cause.”

There have understandably been a lot of songs about floods in recent years, and Chad Richard’s song, “Waters Rise,” is a heartfelt and positive number featuring some good lines, such as “Waters rise, but people rise above.” And these are lines to keep in mind through all our troubles: “We all helped each other up/That’s really what it’s all about/And we were closer and so much stronger/When it all finally dried out.” That’s followed by “The Big And The Little Hand,” a song that has really affected me. “Just trying to be a little more than I’d always been/Amen/Well, I traded my dreams for a better wage/Because it seems that’s what we do in this day and age.” Another of this disc’s powerful songs is “12 More Days Of Blue,” this one about trying to raise a kid and being positive while your personal life crumbles, and trying to do what’s best for your child. “And it hurt me to lie/When I said, son, I don’t know why/But there are some things you just don’t tell a kid.” This is a sweet song. The album concludes with “The Game,” a gentle song about being a traveling musician. “I played a brand new song I think some folks liked/So I guess all in all it was a pretty good night.” But the lines about the waiter are the ones that most strongly affect me: “The sad smile she wears makes it easy to see/She ain’t exactly where she hoped she’d be.”

CD Track List

1. Slow Rollin’ State Line
2. Love Anyway
3. German Angel
4. Right Now
5. Worthy Cause
6. Fredericksburg
7. Waters Rise
8. The Big And The Little Hand
9. My Name
10. 12 More Days Of Blue
11. Shawdy And A Shiner
12. The Game

Worthy Cause was released on April 26, 2019.

Marshall Chapman: “Songs I Can’t Live Without” (2020) CD Review

Marshall Chapman, who is an incredibly talented and accomplished songwriter (her songs have been covered by Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris and Tanya Tucker), turns to the work of other excellent songwriters on her new album, Songs I Can’t Live Without. That title nearly compels us to begin mentally compiling our own lists of essential and critical songs in our lives, to join Marshall Chapman in this endeavor. I think I would have trouble limiting that list to just nine songs, as Marshall Chapman does on this album. This release is her first in quite a while, following Blaze Of Glory, which was on my list of the ten best albums of 2013. Joining her on this new album are Will Kimbrough (an excellent songwriter himself) on lead guitar and bass, Neilson Hubbard on drums and bass, and Dan Mitchell on keys and bass.

Marshall Chapman opens this special album with “Tower Of Song,” a song by Leonard Cohen, who I believe is the best songwriter of all time. I personally couldn’t live without almost all of his songs. I can barely live without him in this world; things have sucked since he died in November of 2016. “Tower Of Song” is from his 1988 album I’m Your Man, and was the song he chose to open his second set on his final tours. Marshall Chapman gives us a seriously good rendition. The song’s opening line “Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey,” here sung has “Well, my friends have gone,” nearly broke me this time through, as so many of us have recently lost important people in our lives. She changes the line “Ah, they don’t let a woman kill you, not in the tower of the song” to “Ah, they don’t let your lover kill you, not in the tower of song.” This song has always struck me as kind of funny. Leonard Cohen is both humble (saying that Hank Williams is a hundred floors above him) and playfully bragging (saying he had no choice because he was “born with the gift of a golden voice”), and Marshall certainly sees humor in it as well, which you can hear in her delivery of lines like “I’m very sorry, baby, doesn’t look like me at all.” Marshall adds a pretty vocal bit between verses. This is a wonderful start to the album.

“Turn The Page” is a song I listened to a whole lot when I was growing up, and I saw Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band perform it in 1986, a highlight of the show, as I recall. Of course this is a song that must mean even more to a touring musician, describing as it does life on the road. And Marshall’s rendition is powerful, having such a gloriously lonesome vibe that is so effective and heartbreaking. She changes the line “You can think about the woman or the girl you knew the night before” to “You can think about the one you love or the one you knew the night before.” As much as I generally dislike it when people change lyrics to a song, this line is actually much better. Marshall Chapman follows that with a gorgeous and moving rendition of the classic “I Fall In Love Too Easily,” written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn. There is something sexy about this track, about her delivery. Dan Mitchell plays flugelhorn on this one.

There have been a lot of noteworthy songwriting teams over the years, and certainly Gerry Goffin and Carole King are fairly high on that list. On this album, Marshall Chapman covers their “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” which was a hit for The Shirelles in 1960. There is both a beauty and a strength to Marshall’s rendition. She then turns to country with a sweet and sad rendition of Johnny Cash’s “I Still Miss Someone.” This is so pretty and touching, and features one of the album’s best vocal performances, making it one of my favorite tracks. That’s followed by a very cool version of “Don’t Be Cruel,” with more than a touch of blues, particularly right at the start. The band provides some wonderful and surprising backing vocals on this one. This track is seriously raising my spirits. I especially dig that stuff on keys.

Another of this disc’s highlights is Marshall Chapman’s absolutely wonderful version of Bobby Charles’ “Tennessee Blues,” a song that I love. It is clear from performances such as this one that these songs mean a lot to Marshall Chapman. She delivers them as if she herself had penned their lyrics. This track also features some cool work on guitar. That’s followed by “After Midnight,” another great choice of songs. It was written by J.J. Cale, and released as a promotional single in 1966, though the first version I heard as a child was that by Eric Clapton. Is it just me, or is there something seductive about the way she delivers the line, “After midnight, it’s going to be peaches and cream”? The band provides some more good backing vocals on this track. The album ends with a nice country rendition of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.” What makes this rendition special is the glorious spoken word section, with the rest of the band backing her with a bit of gospel humming: “And today, I still worry/I worry about what’s going to happen to the people I love/Hell, I worry about what’s going to happen to me/And I worry about people I don’t even know/Talking about people who’ve lost hope.” Yes, this is a rendition that should speak to just about everyone at the moment. “And, lord, I worry about my country.” That great humming is how this wonderful rendition concludes.

CD Track List

1. Tower Of Song
2. Turn The Page
3. I Fall in Love Too Easily
4. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
5. I Still Miss Someone
6. Don’t Be Cruel
7. Tennessee Blues
8. After Midnight
9. He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands 

Songs I Can’t Live Without is scheduled to be released on May 15, 2020 on TallGirl Records.

Missing Persons: “Dreaming” (2020) CD Review

I often get Missing Persons’ “Walking In L.A.” stuck in my head, mainly because I do a great deal of walking here in Los Angeles. But also, well, it’s just a seriously cool song. That first album also contained “Destination Unknown” and “Words,” among other treats. And all the songs on that album were originals, written by the band’s three founding members – vocalist Dale Bozzio, drummer and keyboardist Terry Bozzio, and guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. They went on to put out a couple of other good records in the 1980s, also containing all original material, before disbanding. Since then, they’ve had a couple of reunions, the first of which featured all three original members. But since the 2014 release of Missing In Action, the only original member still standing is Dale Bozzio. Interestingly, the new album, Dreaming, contains very few original songs. The covers are mostly well-known hits from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, but given a very different spin.

The album starts with a somewhat haunting, electronic rendition of the classic tune “California Dreamin’.” From its eerie, moody opening, you know this is going to be quite a bit different from the version by The Mamas And The Papas. The only other musician to appear on this track, and most of the album’s tracks, is Adam Hamilton, who is on keys, bass and programming. He also produced and engineered this release. “California Dreamin’” is followed by one of the album’s original tracks, “Lipstick,” written by Dale Bozzio, Adam Hamilton and Devon Mycah Morse. It’s an interesting and engaging song that takes place in Los Angeles, with lines like “Living out your fantasies in a Hollywood bungalow” and “Neon angels hold you in the darkest part of night.” This track also features a spoken word section in the middle, and things turn darker. We then get the album’s title track, “Dreaming,” which is also an original composition by Dale Bozzio and Adam Hamilton. It is interesting to me that the album starts with “California Dreamin’,” then goes to a song about California and then a song about dreaming. Anyway, this one has kind of a beautiful pop sound, with something of a 1980s vibe, and is one of my personal favorites of the album. “I see your face/I see it every time I dream/All this time I’m waiting, waiting for you.”

We then return to covers, with a strange, almost frightening rendition of The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. This approach works surprisingly well for the lyrics, and is quite effective. That is followed by the Rolling Stones’ “Play With Fire” (here listed as “Playing With Fire”), Dale Bozzio’s vocal delivery full of attitude. You can almost hear a snarl at certain points, on certain words such as “diamonds” and “pretty clothes,” which is great. “So don’t play with me, because you’re playing with fire” is given as a real warning. This rendition has a steady electronic rhythm. Then we get a really odd take on The Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” a song from that band’s fantastic 1978 debut LP. Here the song is given a strong electric pulse, but also gets heavy at times (like if Nine Inch Nails covered it or something). Jürgen Engler (from Die Krupps) plays guitar on this track, so I suppose that is where we get that heavier sound.

Missing Persons then moves into the 1980s with a cover of The The’s “This Is The Day,” written by Matt Johnson. This song already had something of an electronic pop sound, so this new version from Missing Persons isn’t as much of a departure from the original as are many of this disc’s other tracks. This one has a rather cheerful vibe. After all, “This is the day that your life is going to change/This is the day that things fall into place.” That’s followed by another song from the 1980s, Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” This is a touching and haunting rendition, the focus being on Dale’s vocals, with a beat not coming in until more than a minute into the track. Missing Persons remain in the early 1980s with a cover of Peter Godwin’s “Images Of Heaven,” from a 1982 EP of the same name. This is another that already had an electronic sound, and so this new version is more closely aligned with the sound and vibe of the original. I honestly had forgotten about this song, but it’s fun to revisit it now. I’m digging this version. “Images of heaven/That take me to hell/Images of heaven/Of something to sell.”

The album then goes back to the 1960s with a cover of Strawberry Alarm Clock’s big hit, “Incense And Peppermints.” It has a rather dark opening before the pop beat brightens things, but this ends up being a fun, breezy take on the song. Jürgen Engler plays guitar on this track. That’s followed by the album’s final original song, “This Time,” written by Dale Bozzio and Adam Hamilton. This one is interesting from its opening, but where this song really grabs me is approximately halfway through, in that section where Dale sings “Luck is for the lucky/And the world’s gone insane/And the world’s gone insane.” At that point, I’m totally hooked. The album concludes with a cover of The Dramatics’ “In The Rain,” the electronic sounds giving the song a somewhat darker tone and texture.

CD Track List

1. California Dreamin’
2. Lipstick
3. Dreaming
4. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
5. Playing With Fire
6. Just What I Needed
7. This Is The Day
8. Love Will Tear Us Apart
9. Images Of Heaven
10. Incense And Peppermints
11. This Time
12. In The Rain

Dreaming was released on March 20, 2020 on Cleopatra Records, and is available on both CD and vinyl.

The Lovetones: “Myriad” (2020) CD Review

The Lovetones have released their first new album in a decade, and it’s a good one. Titled Myriad, it features mostly originally material written by the band’s vocalist and guitarist Matthew J. Tow. These songs feature the elements that people have come to expect from the band – a 1960s psychedelic influence, interesting guitar work and a certain charm to the vocal performances. But these songs also have strong emotional cores, songs you might find yourself connecting to, particularly in these uncertain and rather frightening times. In addition to Tow, the band is made up of Christopher Cobb on drums, Matthew Sigley on bass and keys, Tim Kevin on guitar and keys, and Nic Dalton on mandolin.

There is something beautiful about the album’s opening track, “The Circle Turns.” It eases in, giving us a chance to get situated, and the vocals have a kind and rather sad quality. “You and I are lost for all eternity/A myriad of beauty and despair.” While I was listening to this album for the first time, I received the news that John Prine had died, so perhaps things were hitting me hard, but this song had me in tears. Yet it still hit me hard my second and third times through, so it wasn’t just that moment. “The circle turns again/And again and again.” There is also something soothing about the delivery. “The Circle Turns” was written by Matthew J. Tow, as was “About The Girl,” which follows it. This one too has a strong effect on me, in part because of lines like “But it’s all right, everything’s okay/Going to hide myself away/Make it through another day.” There is certainly a Beatles influence heard in this one, even in the inflection of certain words and phrases, such as “your name” in the lines “And every song’s a sad, sad song/And the moonlight calls your name/How could I let you go?”

The album’s only cover is “The Milkman Of Human Kindness,” written by Billy Bragg and appearing on his first release back in 1983. The title of this song always makes me smile, even now, even during this depressing time. It is of course a play on Lady Macbeth’s speech from Macbeth, “Yet do I fear thy nature;/It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness.” The song has a lighter, more playful quality than the first two tracks. The Lovetones’ rendition has a bit more of a pop sound than Billy Bragg’s original version. “Won’t you hold my hand, I’m waking up” is a great line, by the way. It is followed by “Caylus 74,” a short instrumental piece composed by Matthew Sigley. Though it is listed as a separate track on the CD case, it is actually included on the same track as “The Milkman Of Human Kindness.”

“Everything You’ve Ever Had” is a wonderfully sweet and beautiful song. The lines “Won’t you kiss me now/Before it’s too late” stand out, and the pause after “now” gives extra focus and strength to “Before it’s too late,” which can’t help but have an impact on us now. He then sings “Love me now/Before it’s too late.” It feels like that now, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it feel like things could end at any moment? And we need to show those whom we care about how important they are. As the song is ending, he repeats “Before it’s too late.” But there is a magical sense to the song then, like the music is taking us on some blissful journey across skies, easing our minds. That’s followed by “Rescue,” a positive song with more of a pop vibe. Ah, we could all use a bit of rescuing these days, eh? “Find the truth/Where truth does hide/You could spend/Your whole life hung up on a dream/If you find it in your heart/To forgive/I will start/To build a bridge for you/Stronger than before.” I look to music like this to rescue me.

For me, the most interesting and exciting song is “Modern Life Is Killing Me.” Its opening lines are “Everybody here is so crazy/Running all around/If there’s a dollar to be found,” lines I’m sure people are going to be able to relate to. And the lyrics are delivered in an unusual way, kind of slowly and drawn out, like he is holding onto each word, which works so well with the song’s theme. Halfway through, there is an excellent instrumental section featuring some good and expressive work on guitar, with that 1960s psychedelic influence at its strongest. That is followed by “Caylus (Reprise),” which, like “Caylus 74,” is listed as a separate track on the CD case but it is actually tacked onto the end of the track containing “Modern Life Is Killing Me.”

In “Walk Away,” Matthew sings “You’ve got to be true to yourself/If you ain’t true to yourself, you’ll never be true to no one else,” a rewording of the advice that Polonius gives to Laertes in Act I scene iii of Hamlet: “This above all: to thine own self be true,/And it must follow, as the night the day,/Thou canst not then be false to any man.” The album then concludes with “I’ll Never Be That Guy,” a song with a positive outlook. We can use as much of this as we can get. “I’m going to put my faith in it/I’m going to give my heart to it/I’m going to spell out the reasons why/I’m going to give it my heart/I’m going to give it my love.” What’s interesting is that I was in tears at the beginning of this album, but feeling almost optimistic by the end. Now that’s a journey we want to take.

CD Track List

1. The Circle Turns
2. About The Girl
3. The Milkman Of Human Kindness/Caylus 74
4. Everything You’ve Ever Had
5. Rescue
6. Modern Life Is Killing Me/Caylus (Reprise)
7. Walk Away
8. I’ll Never Be That Guy 

Myriad was released on February 28, 2020 on Cleopatra Records.