CD: “Everyday Demons”
PERFORMER: The Answer
WEBSITE: www.theanswer.ie
LABEL: The End Records

Rock radio is seeing a trend of late where new music, both from new bands and veterans, is getting back to the seemingly obvious business of rocking out. Simple as that may sound, some outfits do it well and some apparently are in the learning stage after raiding their parents’ surviving record collection. Fortunately, Ireland’s The Answer, with its worldwide debut “Everyday Demons,” represents the former.

Unlike many bands that issue a record and hope for the best, The Answer has benefited from some timely pre-release send up. “On and On” got a ton of airplay prior to the album’s release and is the perfect choice as the lead single. Utilizing a jackhammer riff (reminiscent of last year’s best new band, Airbourne) and a huge chorus, the song is nothing short of infectious.

The Answer isn’t using any type of formula to make “Demons” click; this is one band that sports a plethora of influences, all of which it has seemingly mastered. The album’s opener, “Demon Eyes,” recalls a “Rocks”-period Aerosmith, while “Walkin’ Mat” hints at the shining moments of Humble Pie. Read the rest of this entry »

CD: “The Devil You Know”
PERFORMER: Heaven and Hell
WEBSITE: www.heavenandhelllive.com
LABEL: Rhino Records

The debut from Heaven and Hell, “The Devil You Know,” has to be - for me, anyway - the most hotly anticipated album thus far in ‘09. I have not been expecting some heavy metal reinvention of the wheel and, quite simply, would have been none too happy had The Band Formerly Known as Black Sabbath gone that route.

The band, by whatever moniker, is universally synonymous with devilish riffs and unique lyrical imagery, and “The Devil You Know” does not disappoint in those respects. Guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler continue in the grand Sabbath tradition, wielding their hands of doom like the musical minions of Beelzebub that they are. Drummer Vinny Appice aptly swoops down Odin’s hammer - simply stated, heavy and steady. And then there’s Ronnie James Dio, the little guy with the Herculean voice, who once again supplants his canvassing of all that is mystical while sounding, at 66 years young, much more powerful than someone his age should even consider a possibility.

The album opens with “Atom and Evil,” a little tune that comes on like a ‘luded out T-Rex -plodding along with an ultra-heavy rhythmic stomp but biting with razor-sharp teeth. Given the Atom/Adam-Evil/Eve allegory, it looks like RJD has been giving some thought to the whole apocalypse-versus-nuclear-holocaust conundrum. Read the rest of this entry »

CD: “The Wayward Truth
PERFORMER: Paul Calicoat
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/paulcallicoat
PURCHASE CD: Click here

Area musicians probably know Paul Callicoat because he’s the co-owner of Route 60 Music in Barboursville, a mecca for guitarists and musicians from three states. Paul is also an accomplished musician, delving into many styles, from rock and roll with the legendary band Territories, to bluegrass, as seen on the TV show “America’s Best Gospel Bluegrass” (seen on WSAZ and MyZ).

He’s also seen frequently backing up Rob McNurlin and Sasha Collette. He’s performed solo as a singer/songwriter on my Web show “Radio Free Charleston” and Marshall University’s “Up Late.” Calicoat has worked in a variety of genre over the years.

On “The Wayward Truth,” Callicoat blends all his influences together and comes up with a quiet masterpiece of Americana. This album is part country, part rock, but all heart. The songs, all written by Callicoat, evoke the true spirit of this nation, both lyrically and musically. The tempo varies from slow ballads to upbeat shuffles. This collection of songs makes for a great Sunday morning album, not unlike something by The Traveling Wilburys or Norah Jones. It’s mature, quiet, dignified music, played with a virtuoso’s intensity and sung with with honesty and earnestness by Calicoat. Read the rest of this entry »

CD: “Back to the Black Bayou”
PERFORMER: Louisiana Red
WEBSITE: www.louisiana-red.com
LABEL: Ruf/Bluestown

The latest from blues vet Louisiana Red (who was actually born in Alabama) may very well be the best traditional blues release of the year. No, make that the last five years.

Living in Germany since 1981, Red (born Iverson Minter) recorded the disc at Juke Joint Studios in Norway with harpist Kim Wilson and guitarist Little Victor in attendance. In addition to great, gritty playing and singing all around, the record nails the sound and feel of blues discs from the ’60s where the instruments came together in one beautiful, big sound.

“I’m Louisiana Red” sets the stage with a slinky, Muddy Waters “You Don’t Love Me” groove, and it only gets better from there. One after another - the dueling harps of “Alabama Train,” the “Honey Bee”-styled slow blues of “Sweet Leg Girl,” the hard shuffle of “Crime in Motion” and the muddy swamp feel of “The Black Bayou” - the grooves are deep enough to get lost in.

While every tune explores another time-tested groove, this is as serious as blues gets in the new millennium. I won’t name any names, but if you’ve been listening to blues played by folks in sunglasses and berets, Louisiana Red is the antidote.

– By Michael Lipton

CD: “Upside Down”
PERFORMER: Aynsley Lister
WEBSITE: www.aynsleylister.co.uk
LABEL: Ruf

Over the course of nearly seven years and four releases, British singer/guitarist Aynsley Lister has matured slowly and steadily into one of the best blues rockers around. While his sound, which is often edgier than most of his ilk, leans toward rock, he’s got a deep canon of blues and rock licks that makes it all work.

“Find My Way Home” opens with a hard, fast groove that means business. It doesn’t take but a moment to realize that Lister knows his way around a couple of genres. If “Getaway” could pass for a Bryan Adams arena rocker (not always a bad thing), “Always Tomorrow” is blue-eyed soul ballad with some spot-on R&B licks.

“Upside Down” is the first disc to feature nothing but originals, and Lister seems determined to cover all the bases. “Beautiful” and the modal “Rain” go further afield, with nothing but a finger-picked acoustic guitar and vocal. “With Me Tonight” is a rocker that mixes equal parts ZZ Top and SRV; “In The Morning” offers up barnstorming pop-boogie; and “Disorderly Me” is an old-fashioned Texas shuffle.

Lister may be too rock and pop to satisfy the gotta-be-the-blues crowd, but in this case, that’s a good thing.

– By Michael Lipton

CD: “Free Your Mind”
PERFORMER: Too Slim and the Taildraggers
WEBSITE: www.tooslim.org
LABEL: Underworld

A gritty, roots rock disc from the Seattle-based Taildraggers? Perhaps.

Despite the band’s numerous accolades (”Best Band,” “Best Album,” “Best Regional Act” and similar kudos for frontman Tim Langford, aka “Too Slim”), this record really isn’t very good. I’m sure it passes the test in a roadhouse (after multiple pitchers) but here at the gazz, our standards are higher.

However, just as I was ready to dismiss the band’s hard work, I heard a bit of brilliance emanate from the lips of Mr. Slim. Midway through “Last Train” (and after the abysmal line “I wake up in the morning and I drink a cup of joe/I read the morning paper and it makes me wanna blow”), Slim intones: “The Chinese they don’t like the Dahli Lama, those people in France really like that guy Obama.”

Now, no matter how banal, bland, predictable and trite (”Devil in a Doublewide,” “Been Through Hell,” lines like “this sufferin’ is my testament … the devil says I owe him rent,” a front guy who calls himself “Too Slim,” etc.) the rest of the disc, anyone who chooses to rhyme “Dali Lama” with “Obama” is OK in my book.

– By Michael Lipton

CD: “Haymaker!”
PERFORMER: The Gourds
WEBSITE: www.thegourds.com
LABEL: Yep Roc

For a group whose records have arguably been filled with more fun than substance, the latest from Austin’s The Gourds could change this collective view. The rave-up mix of acoustic and electric flavors is still there - as it is been from the band’s inception in 1992 - but it feels more rooted than in the past.

From the opening “Country Love,” a loose lipped, easy-going tribute to easy-going country living, to the Tex-Mex belly-rubber “Valentine,” the group sounds more than a little like New Orleans’ Subdudes (thanks largely to Claude Bernard’s accordion). But where the Subdudes lean toward R&B, The Gourds find their home midway between the swamp (”Shreveport”), roadhouse (”Country Gal”) and dance hall (”Bridgett”).

“Blanket Show” is classic slop-bucket, hick n’ roll, while “Tex-Mex Mile” amounts to little more than a re-write of Earl Green’s classic trucker hit “Six Days on the Road” (but that’s something they’ll have to live with). Overall, the disc comes across with all the attitude the band puts out live. And that’s no easy feat.

– By Michael Lipton

CD: “The Soul of Hip-Hop, Vol. 1″
PERFORMER: Various Artists
WEBSITE: Click here
LABEL: Concord/Stax

Every style of music has its roots in something that came before, and hip-hop is no different. These 14 tunes - originally issued on Memphis’ legendary Stax label in the ’60s and ’70s - offer up some of the starting points for music that would follow decades later. In fact, via sampling, all of these songs have become part of another generation’s music.

Most of these cuts do not count among the nearly 250 titles Stax charted during its heyday. While the artists may be familiar - Issac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, The Emotions, The Sweet Inspirations, Little Milton and William Bell - the tunes are mostly under-the-radar standards. Standouts include Booker T.’s simmering “Melting Pot,” the Bar-Kays’ funky “Humpin’,” the Dramatics’ hypnotic “Get Up and Get Down,” Rufus Thomas’ groove-heavy “Do the Funky Penguin” and Hayes’ simple (except for the title) “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.”

– By Michael Lipton

CD: “Til Spring”
PERFORMER: Clarence Bucar
WEBSITE: www.clarencebucaro.com
LABEL: 20-20

Cleveland native Clarence Bucaro has got a hot disc on his hands with “‘Til Spring.” On it, he boasts a maturity and soulfulness - in both writing and performing - that his past efforts (2002’s “Sweet Corn” and 2004’s “Sense of Light”) only hinted at.

The disc features buoyant arrangements (thanks in large part to Glenn Patscha’s organ), uplifting vocals and stellar performances all around (guitarists Kirk Fletcher, Neal Casal and Anders Osborne all do more than earn their keep).

Bucaro taps a range of emotions, from the simmering love song “Renew My Faith in You” and the dark “On the Map,” to the deep, gorgeous textures of “When Man Plays God.” Throughout, Bucaro’s poise, clear-voiced delivery and innate confidence are reminiscent of Nils Lofgrin or up ‘n’ comer Amos Lee.

– By Michael Lipton

CD: “What I Know”
PERFORMER: Tom Rush
WEBSITE: tomrush.com
LABEL: Appleseed

For his first studio effort in 35 years, folkie Tom Rush has enlisted a cast of guests that underscores his reputation in folk circles. In addition to top-notch credentials (among other things, he covered songs by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Jackson Browne before they had hits on their own), Rush has a confident, easy-on-the-ears delivery developed over a career that began in the ’60s in the fabled Boston/Cambridge folk scene.

While the New Hampshire native doesn’t squander the gravitas, perhaps the most striking thing about this release is that he doesn’t need the help. He holds his own - and then some - with a classic, understated delivery on tracks like “River Song” and the paean to love “What I know.”

Even when the guests appear, Rush has no trouble keeping the spotlight. Emmylou Harris adds to Texas singer/songwriter/guitarist Steven Bruton’s wistful “Too Many Memories” and Nanci Griffith is the perfect compliment on the traditional “Casey Jones.” But truth be told, Rush could have pulled them off just fine by himself. The disc closes with an almost solo take on Mentor Williams’ timeless 1973 hit (by Dobie Gray) “Drift Away.”

– By Michael Lipton