The Soul of John Black - The Good Girl Blues

Sometimes I think a lot of alt-country types think they own the "roots music" idea. I know I'm guilty of this a lot, assuming that the natural and appropriate method of engaging with popular and folk music history lies somewhere on the continuum between Uncle Tupelo and BR549. But sometimes I get CDs that show me I'm an idiot.

I got The Good Girl Blues by The Soul of John Black a couple months ago. Most of the CDs I get sent are by people I haven't heard of, and scanning down the list of names on this disc and recognizing none, I assumed it was just another indie outfit looking for a good word. As I listened to the CD and thought about how I would review it, how I could comment on the tight integration of acoustic and electric, city and country blues with elements of soul, funk, and hip hop, I realized that I didn't have the vocabulary to discuss these latter, more recent developments in African American music. Then I read the press packet and found out that front man John Bigham played with Miles Davis (even writing one of the songs on Davis' last album) and was a member of Fishbone for nearly ten years.

I guess my point is that my insular view of "roots" as nearly synonymous with alt-country prevented me from seeing strands of influence that should have been obvious and caused me to overlook playing with Miles Davis and Fishbone as legitimate avenues toward this.

Listen:
The Soul of John Black - Fire Blues
The Soul of John Black - Deez Blues

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Top 10 of 2006, Part 3

Today we finish up the sample songs off my favorite albums of the year. My top two are perhaps the least well-known releases on this list, but don't think that I upped their placement just to have an unconventional top pick. I actually feel that these two albums are the best I've heard this year, surpassing the better-known and more-respected musicians who are below them on the list or not present at all.

3. Kris Kristofferson - This Old Road

Listen:
Kris Kristofferson - Pilgrim's Progress

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From Amazon

2. Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies - Blood to Dust

Listen:
Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies - 27 Years

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From Bob Wayne

1. Scott H. Biram - Graveyard Shift

Listen:
Scott H. Biram - Been Down Too Long

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From Bloodshot
From Amazon

Roots Music: An American Journey

A couple weeks ago my dad gave me this Rounder compilation out of the blue.

I had him proofread some stuff a few months ago for my grad school application in which I mentioned "roots" music and he asked me to explain what that meant. I actually had a really hard time. It was easy to list constituent genres: folk, country, blues, etc., but I couldn't give a definition that included the right stuff but also excluded the rest. He asked if Johnny Cash was roots music and I said I guess he was. Then he asked about the Statler Brothers, of whom he is a fan, and I didn't know what to say. Definitely not anything recent of theirs, but maybe their early stuff is. In the end I had to paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart: I can't define it, but I know it when I hear it.

Anyways, he saw this four-disc box set at Barnes & Noble and got it for me.

It's a fairly good round-up of the most prominent genres/styles (or whatever you want to call them) that can be clumped under the term "roots" as well as a few tracks from lesser-know genres/styles. The set is a little heavy on stringband/old-time/bluegrass, but cajun & zydeco, a variety of Mexican-Americans styles, and a broad range of the blues also receive good-sized representation. The first two discs are meant to be an overview of "hard-core traditional styles" and the last two "roots-derived music and interpreters of folk traditions." I'd argue with their placement of several tracks, but overall I can see this organizing pattern.

There are also tracks from a bunch of places that don't fit that well into one of these larger groups: one Hawaiian song, one Mardi Gras Indian song, one New Orleans brass band song, one klezmer song. There are also some holes. Shape note singing and sacred steel have both been gaining popularity recently, but aren't included. Overall, though, I think that this is a pretty good overview when you consider that it is all taken from the catalogue of one record label.

In the coming months you might see some records by some of the folks in this set appear here as I explore their other work.

Listen:
Rebirth Brass Band - Just a Little While to Stay Here

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From Rounder
From Amazon

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Nothing But the Water

When I first got this CD by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in the mail, I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to the scope of what I review. But after several listens, I've decided that not only is it appropriate, but that it actually highlights the cross-generic interplay which I really like and which I feel is vital to so-called roots music.

After listening to this album three times through, I'm still having trouble deciding what genre I would classify the album as. It ranges in influence from the searing vocals of Janis Joplin, to the roots funk of the Band, to the soft and smooth vocals of Norah Jones, to the (almost annoyingly) catchy pop-funk of Maroon 5. While several songs combine many influences, several are also more easily discernible as a specific genre. The album hangs together remarkably well, though, having such a variety of style incorporated.

I think the song I'm including does a good job of showing the breadth of influence. The main guitar riff is Delta blues by way of Dire Straits era Mark Knopfler; the organ almost takes us to church; and the drummer doesn't refuse to use the fundamental drumming he learned in marching band.

Listen:
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals - Joey

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From Amazon

Kris Kristofferson - This Old Road

I saw this album in the used bin at my local record store in late January. I knew it must be pretty new 'cause of its '06 date, but I hadn't heard anything about it so I left it. I figured that if Kris Kristofferson put out a new album I would have heard about it if it was any good. Well, a couple weeks later, he's on the cover of No Depression and everyone's calling this CD his best in decades. Turns out someone had sold their promo copy to my local store even before the this had been released.

Well, it is a great album. Very sparse and atmospheric, yet not vapid as Kristofferson's lyrics come to the front. I could see comparisons to Cash's American Recordings, especially the character of the old voice. The production here, by Don Was, is much less obvious than Rick Rubin's on the American series, though. The songs are mostly rather sparse, with Kristofferson on guitar and harmonica with mandolin, drums, bass, and piano also appearing. The harmonica is rather Dylan-esque and complements Kristofferson's rough voice in a similar manner.

The lyrical content of this album is what you might expect of a lefty during a conservative political swing, particularly "In the News," which responds to the US-led occupation of Iraq as well as problems at home, and "Wild American," an ode to Steve Earle and others who have suffered for vocalizing their political beliefs. But Kristofferson's writing skills haven't lessened over the years and he once again proves his place as one of the great songwriters. He deals subtly with topics that might be approached more clumsily by lesser writers.

Listen:
Kris Kristofferson - Thank You For a Life

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From Amazon

Soda and His Million Piece Band - Soda

I first heard about Soda and His Million Piece Band through the now-defunct podcast The Outhouse. They play some pretty gritty punk-influenced Americana/blues, complete with accordion, bari sax, and every kind of string instrument you can think of. The mix of instruments is really great and doesn't have the novelty to it that, say, my previous post the White Ghost Shivers has. The vocals are very course; I'm guessing they were recorded with a harmonica bullet mic.

This band is based in LA and hasn't traveled anywhere near me, which is understandable with a varying lineup of anywhere from 8 to 16 musicians. Their website said they were as SXSW and I wish they'd make their way up I-35 next time they're in Texas.

Listen:
Soda and His Million Piece Band - July.mp3

Buy:
From CD Baby