The ’80s gave us George Bush, but it also gave us Boy George and George Michael. If an era can be defined by its music, the ’80s played like one long party. And now WXYC is resurrecting the festivities at its biannual ’80s dance, coming up this Saturday, March 29, at the Cat’s Cradle. To […]
Chuck Waters
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The North Mississippi Allstars
The North Mississippi Allstars rev it hard on 51 Phantom. A trio comprised of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar and vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums) with bassist Chris Chew, the Allstars eschew frills for a primal blues/swamp/rock mojo that cooks. While Luther can growl like Howlin’ Wolf, which he does on the title track (sort of […]
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James Cotton, On the Record
Living a lifetime of music has practically made James Cotton a cultural ambassador of the blues. And at 66, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. He recently recorded the theme music for a new PBS series, American Roots, which presents an overview of American music ranging from blues to gospel to country, and will […]
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Mood Indigo
The blues arose sometime after the Civil War as a distillate of the African music brought over by slaves. From field hollers, ballads, church music and rhythmic dance tunes called jump-ups evolved music for a singer who would engage in call-and-response with his guitar; he would sing a line, and the guitar would answer.” That, […]
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John Phillips
Whattya get when you cross John Phillips with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards? Papa was a Rolling Stone! (Ha!) Well, not technically. But Phillips did team up with the Glimmer Twins (who produced) for this long-lost 1973 set that just now is seeing the light of day. The Stones–Richards (guitar and background vocals), Jagger (background […]
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John Hammond
Since his appearance on Big City Blues in 1964, John Hammond has recorded dozens of discs. And while he may have flirted with rock ‘n’ roll from time to time, Hammond’s roots have remained true blue. Two recent Hammond releases are a case in point. His latest for Virgin/Pointblank, Wicked Grin, has Hammond covering a […]
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Double Trouble
The soul of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan hovers over this album like a guiding spirit. It’s there in the presence of his longtime rhythm section–drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, who co-produced. It’s there in the dedication: “He was our mentor, our friend and our brother. We miss him.” It’s there in the […]
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Wake the Dead
Sure, on paper it sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen: Irish/Celtic treatments of Grateful Dead songs? But it comes off a lot better than you might think. Remember, the Dead started out as a jug band outfit, and folk roots run deep. What Wake the Dead has done is to blend in a […]
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The Corrs
Take three fetching ladies and one lad from Dundalk, Ireland, mix traditional Irish music filtered through pop/rock sensibilities, and you have the Corrs. Formed in 1990, the quartet (Andrea, tin whistle, vocals; Caroline, drums; Sharon, violin; and Jim, guitars/keyboards) first caught the eye of eventual manager John Hughes while he was scouting talent for Alan […]
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Shalini, We Want Jelly Donuts, Parasol Records
It may be moot as to whether Shalini craves jelly donuts. But We Want Jelly Donuts, her debut solo CD, sure sounds sweet. Mitch Easter (Let’s Active) certainly has a hand in. The multitalented production maven plays the mixing board like an instrument, blending guitars here and keyboards there, on these 10 delicious tracks. Flash […]
