Pop & Rock
VOICES Notes and news on Pop & Rock releases
The Sweetest Change
03 NOV 09 JOHN C. BRUENING
By the time the world met "Grandpa" Elliott Small in April 2009 via Playing For Change's two-disc Songs Around The World CD/DVD, he'd already been busking in New Orleans' French Quarter for more than 60 years. Small is now the first artist to sign with Playing For Change Records. Backed by the Playing for Change Band, he stepped off the streets and into the studio earlier this year to record Sugar Sweet, a collection of blues and soul classics delivered courtesy of his soulful baritone vocals and versatile harmonica style.
His stirring version of "Stand By Me" on Songs Around The World became the anchor track for the set that captured him and 36 other little-known but brilliant street musicians from around the world. The track and the accompanying video that went viral on YouTube and elsewhere transformed him into an unlikely global superstar.
Sugar Sweet opens with "Ain't Nothing You Can Do," a Bobby "Blue" Bland hit that -- despite the melancholy subject matter -- sounds unexpectedly upbeat here. "Sugar Is Sweet" derives its international groove from guitarists Jason Tamba and Louis Mhlanga (from the Congo and Zimbabwe, respectively), who set up a rumba beat supported by drummer Peter Bunetta. Other highlights include the emotionally churning "Share Your Love With Me," which Small borrows from an Aretha Franklin recording, and a straightforward take on the Sam Cooke hit "Another Saturday Night."
Despite the melancholy closer, "Please Come Home For Christmas," there's no need for tears. After a long stretch of lean decades, Santa's been good to Elliott Small this year and Grandpa seems more than happy to spread the love.
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Sugar Is Sweet
Grandpa Elliott, from Sugar Sweet
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Stand By Me
Playing For Change, from Songs Around The ...
in this playlist.
The Other Architect
27 OCT 09 DAVID VIENNA
When you hear the early recordings of Larry Williams, such as on his 1959 Specialty release Here's Larry Williams, it's hard not to compare him to his friend and labelmate Little Richard. In fact, he was signed to the label because of the similarity of his sound to the flagship artist. More than a mere copycat, however, Williams went on to have a modest string of hits including "Bony Moronie," listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
The energetic cuts on Here's Larry Williams come fast and loose -- less polished than Little Richard's early work, if you think that's possible. His meaty piano riffs lay out an indelible rhythm on which the other band members hang their groove, blending the sway of R&B with a boisterous flair. Shortly after he joined Specialty, Little Richard left the music business to become a minister, effectively elevating Williams to the Architect's spot on the roster. In 1957, he released "Short Fat Fanny," which hit No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 5 on the pop chart.
He had a handful of cuts that came close, reaching near the top of the charts, but he never matched the success of that first hit. Drugs took over his life (he both used and sold them) and attempted a comeback now and then. He was found dead on Jan. 7, 1980, the result of a self-inflicted gunshot would. He was just 44-years-old. His influence on rock 'n' roll lives on, however, as do his songs which have been covered by artists such as The Beatles, New York Dolls and The Who.
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Short Fat Fannie
Larry Williams, from Here's Larry ...
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Bony Moronie
Larry Williams, from Specialty Profiles: ...
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All Around The World
Little Richard, from The Very Best Of ...
in this playlist.
Jimmy's Jump Blues
16 OCT 09 DAVID VIENNA
Jimmy Liggins spent his early years living in the shadow of his famous brother Joe Liggins, who led the popular R&B band The Honeydrippers. Jimmy eventually formed his own jump blues group, The Drops Of Joy. They created such indelible romps, compiled on Specialty's Jimmy Liggins And His Drops Of Joy, they are widely credited as one of the direct precursors to rock 'n' roll.
In the 1930s and early-1940s, Jimmy spent time as an amateur boxer and chauffeur for his brother before deciding to try his hand at music. He learned guitar and pieced together the members of The Drops Of Joy, the name of which is a nod to his brother's band. Among the talented musicians in the band was saxman Maxwell Davis, who went on to record with other greats such as Percy Mayfield and Jimmy Witherspoon.
The Specialty collection, which offers recordings from 1947-1953, is full of phenomenal jump blues tracks like "Cadillac Blues," "I Can't Stop It" and "Drunk." And cuts like "Shuffle Shuck" and "Come Back Home" seem like they might spin out into chaos with each measure. Unlike Joe's tight direction, Jimmy led his band fast and loose, giving each song a beautifully raw, raucous sound.
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I Can't Stop It
Jimmy Liggins & His Drops Of Joy, from Jim ...
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Louisiana Woman
Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers, from Joe ...
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Drunk
Jimmy Liggins & His Drops Of Joy, from Rou ...
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Hit The Road, Jack
Percy Mayfield, from Specialty Profiles: ...
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Grab Me A Freight
Jimmy Witherspoon, from Evenin' Blues
in this playlist.
The Birth Of A Genre
13 OCT 09 DAVID VIENNA
For music nerds like... well, pretty much everyone at Concord Music Group, there is history to be found everywhere, even in an '80s electronic band called Cybotron. That band's Fantasy release Clear (a remaster of their original debut Enter) may sound dated to modern ears, but it essentially marked the birth of "electro" music, which gave rise to techno.
Admittedly, listening to Clear, one might have trouble not picturing Saturday Night Live cast member Andy Samberg performing them as part of an SNL Digital Short. With song titles like "Industrial Lies" and "Cosmic Cars," the challenge grows. ("Laser Cats" anyone?) But if you look at it from the perspective of the era, it is a remarkable piece of music history.
Enter was released in 1983, the same year as Madonna's debut album, Mötley Crüe's Shout At The Devil and Billy Joel's An Innocent Man. To say the competition was thick is an understatement. Yet, the band found a cult following thanks to its then unique sound, making songs almost entirely using synthesizers and samplers.
In Clear, you can hear direct connections with latter day bands like Ministry, Big Black and Nine Inch Nails. Unlike those groups, however, Cybotron rarely veered into anything too heavy. Relying on steady beats and ethereal tones, Clear is a landmark on the journey of '80s music and beyond.
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