Album Review - Gary Clark Jr. - The Bright Lights EP

Gary Clark Jr.

The Bright Lights EP

**** out of *****

A Austin, Texas staple who has been garnering rave reviews for his live shows and blues-tastic playing Gary Clark Jr. is primed to explode onto the national and world scene in 2012.  This 4 song EP showcases what Clark specializes in, straight up roadhouse blues.  Ep's need to be special to receive 4 stars out of 5, but each song contained here is a joy and worthy of 1 star on it's own.  The title track and most complete effort tackles New York City's "Bright Lights" and how they can change a person come sun up.  A fantastic lyrical tale over full on strutting guitar that chugs and dirties up the groove every way it can.  Popping drums propel everything forward hooking the listener in the first time through; you will know Gary Clark's name by the end of the song.          

"Don't Owe You A Thang" revs up the boogie-woogie with it's hip shake rhythm and whiskey soaked fretboard fuzz blues solo's.  The final two tracks are just Clark live in a solo setting on acoustic guitar showing off an in the moment flair that is intoxicating.  "Things Are Changin'" displays Clark's rich voice and is a demonstration that he could be mainstream friendly instantly.  EP closer "When My Train Pulls In" shows off the 6-string majesty that has people comparing him to Hendrix.  The run up closing fireworks mimic the title train pulling into the desired station in exhilarating fashion.  The only negative with The Bright Lights EP is that there isn't more goodness to sink your ears into.      
 
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RtBE has to give props to our friend Pat who turned us onto Gary Clark Jr.  Wow, he is a force and one we hope to catch live in 2012.  Firing on all cylinders Clark can't be stopped on this EP; music lovers from all walks of life will probably find something to enjoy in this 4 song quick shot and that is impressive by itself.  You can grab the album here and for under 4 dollars you may not find a better deal all year.  Below are a few video previews of the talent:

"Bright Lights"


"Please Come Home"

Album Review- Gary Clark Jr. -Blak and Blu

Gary Clark Jr

Blak and Blu

***and1/2 out of *****

Talent and success do not always go hand in hand, the music business is just that, a business.  With access to fans being greater then ever now through technology, bands and artists need less help from labels and the "industry" then ever but mainstream success can be even more elusive with a more segmented then ever before listening population.

Gary Clark Jr's first full length album tries to break through on a national scale casting a broad net trying to appeal to everyone.  It is mostly successful but strays from the electric bluesman roots that earned him this major label debut. It seems to put style on shuffle with songs that have pop ("Ain't Messin 'Round"), hip-hop/new school R&B ("The Life", "You Saved Me", "Blak and Blu"), and rock-a-billy("Travis County") overtones; even the blues track "Numb" has a metal texture that should appeal to the headbanging crew.      

You can't fault him for expanding his pallet but these tracks, especially the hip-hop/smooth stylized tracks, don't hold up with the hot bread and butter blues songs that made Clark such a sensation when he burst on the scene.   

3 of the 4 songs from Clark's Bright Lights EP show up here in re-recorded style and show off his blazing skill with the guitar and form the best songs on Blak and Blu. "When My Train Pulls In" gets a burning electric treatment this time around as does "Things Are Changin'" while "Bright Lights" keeps its confident, sexy, strut.

Knowing that the Jimi Hendrix/Stevie Ray Vaughn/Every great electric bluesman from the past comparisons are going to be inevitable Gary Clark Jr attacks them head-on with a staggering take on Jimi's "Third Stone From The Sun" that melts into Albert Collins "If You Love Me Like You Say".  This is an explosive pairing that shows off Clark's talent and even incorporates Tom Morello like guitar scratches in the middle.      

Overall Clark's talent will win the day, and maybe expectations were too high coming in for the Austin, TX man, but this album seems to be trying to hard to appease everyone straight out of the gate and ends up playing like an i-tunes shuffle of his skills rather then a modern era classic.

Clark is still be finding his way as an artist, but just like recent super talented players before him (Robert Randolph, Trombone Shorty, etc) his skill is so immense he will always have a crowd in front of him cheering him on until the next effort.  
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We loved Clark's 4 song EP when we first heard it earlier this year.  We were blown away when we caught him live as he dominated the blues tent down at Jazzfest, hopefully making it his home stage for years to come.  We have to say on the grand scheme of things we are disappointed with this full length album, while it is a good first step in his career (hence the 3 and 1/2 stars) it isn't the masterpiece we were hoping for.  The comparisons to Shorty and RR are easy; super skilled players who tend to write songs all over the map in terms of quality and context when it comes to the studio. I will always try to catch all of them live, but I am guessing I won't be reaching for their studio albums much (except for Backatown, I still love that disk).

Anyway if you haven't heard GCJr yet grab the disk here, and definitely catch him live when you can RtBE will be there tomorrow.  Below are a few samples of the tunes:
"Third Stone From The Sun/If You Love Me Like You Do"
 
"Nextdoor Neighbor Blues" Live

"Numb" Live

Album Review: Gary Clark Jr.- The Story of Sonny Boy Slim

Gary Clark Jr. 

The Story of Sonny Boy Slim

** out of *****

Gary Clark Jr. broke onto the scene as a fiery electric blues slinger from Austin, TX. With his live shows and excellent early EP he solidified himself as a true draw and an engaging craftsman of sound. When his first proper studio release Blak & Blu hit it was easy to see that he fell into the trap of branching out in so many directions that there was zero focus but his talent still shone through. Now on The Story of Sonny Boy Slim, Clark is still searching for that sweet spot that can wrangle all of his musical loves into a cohesive package but the worst possible event happens, as the guitar playing that made him great is regulated into the background in favor of faceless modern R&B and generically light hip-hop.

The "The Healing" opens the disk with a spiritual but then immediately delves into a standard hip-hop beat, where Clark lays out how music is his healing. Lyrically the album is basic, "I feel like a man", "My girl looks good" playing it safe in every direction. While the guitar use is sadly light, the biggest surprise is Clark's vocals which have noticeably improved. His love for all these styles has always been evident, but he felt light singing some of the more modern R&B infused tracks on Blak & Blu, and while the songs here lack anything unique, his delivery of his love lines is much more polished and successful.

The blandness of the album is clear with the safety nets Clark casts for new age funk ("Can't Sleep"), rap tinged R&B ("Hold On") repetitive 70's style soul ("Star") and programmed sounding beats and bass ("Wings") none of which make a lasting impact. The best of these backwards looking efforts is "Our Love" which incorporates organ work into a retro soul format.

"Grinder" finds Clark using the six strings the most aggressively screaming as a counter point behind his relaxed singing that is listing off a basic "mo'money mo'problems" motif ending up the most interesting track here. His best guitar playing comes on the outro solo of "Stay" feeling menacing, then devolves into the generic hip shake of the unironically titled "Shake".

The album closing slow jam of "Down To Ride" plays as a groovy get down jam and at over seven minutes takes to long to get anywhere feeling under-cooked and flaccid. Clark doesn't need to stay rooted in the blues, and should incorporate different styles to his playing, but when the results end up as forgettable as this perhaps using more of his roots as a basis would be wise.
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Catching up on some releases this week that are from earlier in 2015 of artists we like. Clark has now officially fallen into Trombone Shorty and Robert Randolph range of amazing live artists who blew up and then never get it together in the studio, they all should work with some ghost writers for a hit...or maybe work together? We dig him though and wish him (and all of them) the best of luck. Support the artist, buy the album, peep some video:

 

Album Review: Gary Clark Jr.- Blak and Blu The Mixtape

Gary Clark Jr. 

Blak and Blu The Mixtape

**and1/2 out of *****

Bursting on the scene playing electric blues made Gary Clark Jr. famous and a Grammy winner but from his very first interviews he tried not to pigeon hole himself as a one trick pony. He constantly  name dropped hip-hop, pop, soul and rock artists as influences. This remix album is a common extension of that, as well as one that he hopes expands his fan base.

Blak and Blu The Mixtape is to be listened to straight through with various producers and MC's contributing to Clark's tunes. The work is a presented by D-Nice and is a free download acting as a extension/placeholder between albums. Big KRIT comes out for a verse off of the relaxed title track and provides his remix skills to swamp up "When My Train Pulls In" winningly moving things into a different, intriguing, direction from the original.

The vibe gets deep and the voodoo shakes for "Numb" as Bilal helps out with some vocals/playing and the disk closer sees Alice Smith spice up "Please Come Home" with some incredibly sultry vocal work.

Talib Kweli returns the favor of Clark playing on his last release by stopping by and dropping the most energetic rhyme on this digital mixtape during Clark's "Bright Lights". A bonus track called "Soul" is a slow jam outtake strictly from Clark and it is a pleasant journey with some delicate bass work proving Clark has more to offer then just the blues.   
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When we posted a live show from Gary a few weeks ago we found out about this April release.

Support the Artist here, download this album here and peep some video below:

Album Review: Gary Clark Jr. - Live / North America 2016

Gary Clark Jr.

Live / North America 2016

*** out of *****

Gary Clark Jr. is a must see live act. Melding blues rock, soul and grooves he consistently delivers, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Live / North America 2016 works well. What is surprising is that he felt the need to release yet another live documentation after 2014’s double album Live.

Alternating live albums with studio releases may be the game plan, but when his studio releases disappoint, a lot hangs on the live disks. While this is a fine documentation of Clark in his element it seems superfluous.

“Church” gets some added texture with nuanced harmonica playing while “Shake” is a fun rave up featuring Leon Bridges and Jeff Dazey. His choice of cover tunes this go around is pitch perfect with Jimmy Reed’s “Honest I Do” and the blues standard “My Baby’s Gone” by Elmore James.

The two best tracks here are “When My Train Pulls In” and closer “Numb” which also happen to be older tunes that were both released on Live as well. “When My Train Pulls In” is Clark’s signature song and allows him to explore sonic textures, fret board acrobatics and grooving slowdowns; it is central to who is as an artist and this version delivers the goods. “Numb” ends the disk with fuzz pedal fireworks as the groove gets deep as mud and just plows ahead.

Newer tunes don’t fare as well both “Cold Blooded” and “Our Love” go the smooth R&B route with Clark singing in a high register without the desired effect while “The Healing” is a slow slog. All are good-hearted though and in each tune when it comes time to solo, Clark shines.

We have mentioned before, but Clark seems firmly entrenched with other amazingly talented live players like Robert Randolph and Trombone Shorty who have yet to put it all together for a killer album or even a standout single. However, by constantly releasing live albums he is at least playing to his strengths and giving fans mementos of each of his tours.

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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Full Show Friday: Gary Clark Jr. Portugal 2013

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's.  These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...This week...Gary Clark Jr.!

An early favorite of this site, this review is still one of the most clicked on links we have, I am sure we helped him get his Grammy. That first EP is probably his highpoint with us as we weren't so hot on his full length. All four of the EP tunes are here so that's a big plus and you can't even come close to fucking with his live set... awesome. We caught him back in 2012 in the Blues Tent at Jazzfest, also at Bowery Ballroom and simply put, wow.

This hour long set is pretty damn perfect, makes me wonder if he has a new disk on the horizon...anyway, enjoy some electric blues on this Friday, info and setlist below. Pro Shot Pro Sound.

Enjoy:

Setlist:
When My Train Pulls In
Ain't Messin' 'Round
Travis County
Please Come Home
Things Are Changin'
Numb
Don't Owe You A Thing
Bright Lights, Big City

The band:
Gary Clark Jr: guitar, vocals
Johnny Bradley: bass
King Zapata: guitar
Johnny Radelat: drums

NOLA Jazzfest 2019, Artist Predictions

The lineup for the 2019 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be announced very soon (hopefully next week) but we got the early scoop...

Actually no we don't...but since it is fun to predict, lets look into the crystal ball and guess who will be and who should be playing.

We will exclude the brass bands and local acts (even though they are truly the main reason we go) including nationally touring NOLA acts like Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins, Galactic and Trombone Shorty who will all be there. Lets just talk about the bigger national touring artists for now....We will focus more on locals closer to the show.

To get in the southern festive NOLA mood, here is a great video done by Jeronimo Acero that my friend the fantastic Lu Brow sent north to warm me up during the winter.

a glimpse of LOUISIANA from Jeronimo Acero on Vimeo.

Now on to the predictions....

Guitar Guys Get After it in Central Park

Axe slinging fans must have rejoiced as Gary Clark Jr. played Central Park last night. As a special treat he brought out a fast rising star to join him. Our man Brandon Niederaur joined Clark to get down and rock out.

We wrote about Brandon when we covered Shorty Fest this year as he was the clear highlight. Watch him steal the show yet again this time on Clark's own "Bright Lights"

Thanks Loren for sending this along. Niederaur is a fantastic talent, as we also know Clark's pretty damn great live as well, but keep an eye on Taz.

Album Review: Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Kingfish

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram

Kingfish

**** out of *****

A few years back in 2010 a young guitar-slinger took his Austin, TX inspired electric blues to a national stage as a then 24 year old Gary Clark Jr. released his Bright Lights EP and started a meteoric rise. Now an even younger blues man, the 20 year old Christone "Kingfish" Ingram puts his modern stamp on the blues with his debut Kingfish. Coming from Clarksdale, MS his hometown pull of all the greats (Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson) is strong and he moves into southern blues instead of the Texas style; like BBQ all regional takes on the style are tasty.

Speaking of greats, it doesn't take long for one of them to show up as Buddy Guy straps in and plays with Ingram on the playfully great "Fresh Out" trading licks with a person 62 years his junior Guy sounds joyous as does Kingfish. Tracks like "It Ain't Right" and piano aided closer "That's Fine By Me" travel tried and true meaty electric guitar blues paths about wrong doin' women but Kingfish also shows range. The acoustically reflective "Been Here Before" ties his love of the old genre to his family heritage in close-up passionate fashion; even when the volume is stripped away Kingfish is affecting.

He brings in Keb Mo' and adds a pop sheen (while completely ripping off of the Talking Heads "Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town") for the lord loving "Listen" and channels BB King for the powerful "Love Ain't My Favorite Word". "Before I'm Old" is a blues standard that deals with his obvious age gap, but it is the strength of tunes like "Believe These Blues" and "Hard Times" which prove that Kingfish sounds ingrained in the blues well beyond his years.

The whole record is a solid arrival onto the scene but two stand out a bit higher than the rest. "Trouble" is an upbeat jaunt about being caught by another woman with a New Orleans rumba juiced blues to it, while "If You Love Me" takes warbling guitars and pumping lines and adds gorgeous harmonica to the blues cliched number, resulting in a fresh sounding jam. 

Going back to the beginning Clark sang "you're gonna know my name" and Ingram begins his full length debut by singing that he is sick of waiting around his town and is about to leave it behind for better things on the direct "Outside of This Town". With quality playing, blues song writing and singing this young buck will be touring the world from here on out.     
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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Album Review: Trombone Shorty - Lifted

Trombone Shorty

Lifted

***and1/2 out of *****

Five records into his studio recording career Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty has firmly established a pattern of delivering solid, genre ranging songs as he has become the new ambassador for his beloved New Orleans world wide. Funk, jazz, blues, rock, R&B, all diffused through a pop filter, get airings throughout Lifted as Shorty and his main band, Orleans Avenue, continue their stout, crowd pleasing efforts...if never quite delivering that home run tune. 

Opener "Come Back" is the best of the bunch this go around. It has smooth singing from Andrews, brilliant horn parts, wah-wah guitar and bright production which pops. Shorty and company move into a Bruno Mars get down jam direction for the slinky, poppy funk of "Lie To Me" and the clean, party rocking joyousness of "Might Not Make It Home".

Orleans Avenue, Shorty and guest Gary Clark Jr. punch up the heavy rock on "I’m Standing Here" which features solos from Shorty and Clark that are dynamite before the meaty riffs of the title track brings things higher. The album is dedicated to Shorty's mom who recently passed and is featured on the excellent cover photo. It is notable that Lifted is the first Trombone Shorty effort without an instrumental or cover song which could be why Shorty took extra time with this personal release. 

When Shorty slows down things aren't as engaging, however Lauren Daigle delivers sweet vocals on "What It Takes" and "Forgiveness" is a great lyric, just a dull musical outing. Shorty and company are more successful on the modern NOLA sound of the clap happy, percussive funk of "Miss Beautiful" as his beloved hometown seeps into every sonic pore and closer "Good Company" which ends things with the strongest horn work on the whole album. 

RtBE has discussed this before but Shorty is an amazing live artist who has yet to truly meld his talents into studio efforts, or made that one killer song/album that will bring him superstar recognition his talent deserves, and that is fine. There is very little to dislike on Lifted, as everyone involved delivers professional modern poppy funky rock and R&B to the masses.   

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Support the artist, buy the album and peep some video below:

Live Streams: Tom Petty 70th Birthday Bash

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can. 

Today we highlight: Tom Petty's 70th Birthday Bash Virtual Festival

This one is going to be great starting around 4pm EST today:

View this post on Instagram

JUST ANNOUNCED - Join us this Friday for the Tom Petty 70th Birthday Bash Virtual Festival #TomPettyBirthdayBash October 23rd on @amazonmusic @siriusxm - visit the link in our bio Featuring - @mikecampbellofficial @benmonttench @adamsandler @stevienicks @postmalone @lennykravitz @rickrubin @am0slee @beck @brandicarlile @chrisstapleton @davestewarteurythmics @dhaniharrison @grahamcoxon @eddievedder @emilykingmusic @waynecoyne5 @foofighters @garyclarkjr @jakobdylanofficial @jimmyiovinemusic @kiefersutherland @iamladyblackbird @lucinda_williams @lukasnelsonofficial @missmargoprice @martystuart @amosshart @sextonplace @norahjones @oliviaharrison @dbtrockshow @rickrubin @rogermcguinn @sabinasciubbaofficial @spoontheband @janesaddiction @chrisstillsmusic @stevienicks @susannahoffsofficial @wesleyschultz / @thelumineers @tompettybirthdaybash

A post shared by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (@tompettyofficial) on Oct 20, 2020 at 10:20am PDT

Lot's of RtBE favorites lining up for this one including Drive By Truckers, Gary Clark Jr., Spoon, Jane's Addiction and more.

To get in the mood, here is DBT covering Petty's "Rebels":

Live Streams: A Night For Austin

With live music on lock down (like everything else currently in New York City) live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. While this current state of pandemic separation is in order we will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and you can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past. Please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: A Night For Austin

Willie Nelson and Paul Simon team up for A Night for Austin, but those are only the headliners, the whole lineup is stacked with RtBE favorites:

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⁣The teams behind A Night For Austin stand firmly against all forms of racism and hate, and wish to emphasize their full acknowledgment and sincere heartbreak over the current upheaval in our country, and across the world. Cities and towns across our country have suffered devastating financial losses due to the global pandemic, Austin being one of many. With the events of the past week weighing heavy on our hearts, we feel compelled as a music community to continue to help and support those in need and bring people together in an effort to rebuild. ⠀ ⠀ Several weeks ago Paul Simon, @ediebrickellofficial, @willienelsonofficial, and Annie Nelson started working on an event focused on supporting Austin, Texas as a whole. A Night For Austin is a music benefit supporting the Austin Community Foundation fund which is focused on Austin’s businesses and individuals in need of necessary aid. 100% of the proceeds from the program will go toward @atxcommunityfdn and the fund’s beneficiaries @musicares, @redriverculturaldistrict, @sixsquareatx, @myhaam @ctxfoodbank, @southernsmoketx, and @peoplefund⠀ ⠀ Please join us in support of our beloved Austin on June 10 for a live streaming event honoring the people and places keeping the Live Music Capital alive by supporting artists who count. Now it’s our turn to help them. Donate link in bio. See you there.

A post shared by Paul Simon (@paulsimonofficial) on Jun 4, 2020 at 2:49pm PDT

To get in the mood for tonight's fundraiser here is Austin guitar slinger Gary Clark Jr.:

Album Review: The Record Company -Feels So Good

The Record Company

Feels So Good

*** out of *****

Rollicking bluesy rock flows out of The Record Company on their Feels So Good EP, the second release for the band. A deep blues feel mixes with a polished vibe as the LA trio beats out voodoo in confident fashion. 

Chris Vos (Vocals/Guitar), Alex Stiff (Bass/Vocals) and Marc Cazorla (Drums/Vocals) hit all the classic blues touchstones (lonely dogs, dusty rave ups and hard days) but with the production there is a sheen in places where extra grime may tend to normally reside. This has helped the band get their tunes in various shows and movies helping expand crossover appeal much in the vein of Robert Randolph or Gary Clark Jr (but without the soloing).     

"Feels So Good" Starts thing and works with powerful strides, while "Roll the Bones" bumps the low-end. "Baby, I'm Broken" turns up the distortion and harmonica adding a fuzzy tone to things while "Hard Day Coming Down" burns with an impressive acoustic guitar and hand claps. "Darlin' Jane" ends the EP on "Willie and The Hand Jive" tip as the band puts together gang choruses and funky bass line.

The band has a style that reminds of UK's The Heavy, but with a greater roots feeling, just don't be surprised if the opener "Feels So Good" is everywhere much like "How You Like Me Know?" by this time next year. The title track alone is worth a listen but this band seems to be cooking all over with Feels So Good, get in on the action.  
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Pretty solid blues rawk here. Focused more on the songs then anything else, they are solid if not re-writing the blues, but then again no one needs to do that.

Support the Band Here and Peep some Video below:
"Feels So Good"
 

Full Show Friday: Jonathan Wilson Bonnaroo 2014

We search the murky back waters of youtube to find full concerts and post them to the site weekly, come back every seven days to help us celebrate Full Show Friday's. These shows are of varying quality and may not be here for long so enjoy them while you can...As always, please support the artist every which way, but especially by seeing them live (if they are still playing)...
This week...Jonathan Wilson!

This month we have a special focus on Full Sets from the 2014 Bonnaroo Festival which took place in June down in Tennessee.

Unlike last week with a band we listen to and reviewed on the site, Jonathan Wilson is brand new to us here at RtBE. Wow, we are impressed. Bluesy pop tinged guitar rock that grooves all over in the vein of Gary Clark Jr. Definitely need to find out more about this artist after listening to this set. It is finding great artists that you never heard of at a festival very exciting, and you can do it without having to use a Port-O-John all weekend....Pro-shot, Pro-Sound

Enjoy:

Setlist:
Angel
Fazon
Dear Friend
Desert Raven
Natural Rhapsody
Moses Pain
Valley Of The Silver Moon

2018 New Orleans Jazzfest, Artist Predictions

Soon the lineup for the 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be announced very soon (hopefully end of this week or next) but we got the early scoop...

Actually no we don't...but since it is fun to predict, lets look into the crystal ball and guess who will be and who should be playing. We will exclude local acts (even though they are the main reason we go) including nationally touring NOLA acts like Irma Thomas, Dr. John, Galactic and Trombone Shorty who will all be there. Lets just talk about the bigger national touring artists for now....

To get in the southern festive NOLA mood, here is a great video done by Jeronimo Acero that my friend the fantastic Lu Brow sent north to warm me up during the winter.

a glimpse of LOUISIANA from Jeronimo Acero on Vimeo.

Now on to the predictions....

2015 NOLA Jazzfest Acts: Announced Tomorrow, Predicted Today

Tomorrow the lineup for the 2015 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be announced but we got the scoop...

Actually, no we don't but since it is fun to predict, lets look into the crystal ball and guess who will be and who should be playing. We will exclude local acts (even though they are the main reason we go) lets just talk about national touring acts for now....

Album Review: Black Joe Lewis -Electric Slave

 Black Joe Lewis

Electric Slave

*** out of *****

The cover screams Hendrix from his photo shoot that ended up on some of the Smash Hits records, the music contained within also takes its cue being much more rock oriented here then Black Joe Lewis has been in the past. Where BJL's previous efforts were more soul oriented Electric Slave gets raw and aggressive. The act has also drops the "& The Honeybears" moniker from their name, if this shift signals a change or a one off it remains to be seen, but the backing players all appear to have remained the same.

The scuzzy blues riff of "Skulldiggin'" opens the effort with a heavy stomp and fuzzing six string while Lewis shouts his lyrics over the top of the fray. Lewis has never had the most powerful or sweetest of retro soul voices (JC Brooks and others come to mind) and on Electric Slave he takes a back seat from proper front man to let the power of the band swell.  

"Young Girls" is a nice combo tune that works with this style, let's call it roadhouse punk but Lewis then returns back to his bread and butter soul roots with "Come to My Party" that is highlighted by some cool bass lines. The electric blues gets play with a spotlight on the groups horn section during the trio "Dar Es Salaam", "My Blood Ain't Running Right", and "Guilty". The blaring horns and revved up six strings get the hips moving while the slow blues of "Vampire" cools things down.

The lyrics to "Golem" are eyebrow raising ("One hand on your shoulder, another in your wallet/Smile in your face, while he's stabbing you in your back") but the funk can't be denied and either can the stripped down production

More raw then say contemporary Gary Clark Jr., Black Joe Lewis has carved him and his band out an interesting slice of the blues/retro soul scene. As a front-man, BJL lacks a sense of charisma or charm that is pretty vital for this style of playing, especially with a voice that seems secondary to the music but things are more rock here so it matters less.

Punkish in attitude, professional in technique and retro in delivery Electric Slave has the feel of a leader and band finding their collective feet with this new direction.
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I am interested as why Black Joe Lewis and crew changed their name for this one, but the disk feels like a shift in styles. While enjoyable I think there is definite room for growth, just seems to be something slightly off and I love this style of playing. I missed them live in NOLA a few years ago, so I am hoping to catch them to get a better feel for the group.

Support the band here, buy the album here and peep some samples below:
"Skulldiggin'"

"Come To My Party"

2016 NOLA Jazzfest Acts Announced!

Last week we guessed at who should and who would be playing the 2016 NOLA Jazz Festival, which we consider the best fest in the country.

Well today they announced the acts via this funky video:


We gotta say the lineup is pretty god damn solid. Last year we were underwhelemd with the major acts that were playing down there, not the case this year as all of the headliners would be worth saying, I am not sure I have said that about any of the years we have gone down.

Unfortunately we always book tickets early so we will be missing Pearl Jam who we caught at the Fest in 2010,


However, with Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Neil Young the second weekend (as well as numerous local acts) we can not complain in the slightest.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers join PJ to give the first weekend a bit of an old school Loollapalloza feel while long time blues warriors like Bonnie Raitt can slug it out with new school six string slingers like Gary Clark Jr.

The only downside to this?  Now we have to wait until the end of the April...It can't come soon enough!

Album Review: Jackie Venson - Transcends

Jackie Venson

Transcends EP

*** out of *****

The Austin based singer/songwriter/guitarist Jackie Venson has recently released her newest EP Transcends. It is engaging mix of pop/rock/soul all around her excellent guitar work and easy rolling vocals.

Opening with the grooving "Flying" the EP starts strong via the Prince inspired number that showcases all of the artists numerable talents. "Mysterious" is Venson's most pop influenced numbers, using loops and digital beats, focusing directly on her breathy vocals while "Fast" struts with rocky confidence and a funky bass line but suffers from cliched lyrics about materialism. 

Venson's funky strutting keeps moving with the positive "Fight" which quotes Bob Marley and leans on dance beats behind melodic strums and some gorgeous ringing guitar notes. Things then come to a close (much to quickly) with the rocking title track which contains Jackie's fiercest guitar work on the disk and proves she is a player to watch as it closes Transcends on a high note.

While Venson has released a few EP's her 2017 is proving to be her biggest year yet with Transcends and a tour with fellow Austin rocker Gary Clark Jr. The talent is clearly there and hopefully she reaches even higher heights in the 2018 (and releases a full length).
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A fun release from a talented individual. Support the artist, buy the album, peep some video below:

Album Review: Talib Kweli -Gravitas

Talib Kweli

Gravitas

***and1/2 out of *****

2 albums in 2 years from Talib Kweli as he follows up Prisoner of Consciousness with Gravitas. On Prisoner... Kweli seemed to be rebelling against fans/media labeling him a "conscious rapper" on Gravitas he is back in his normal mode and seems even more invigorated coming at the listener with a ton of things to say piling verses on top of verses.

On "Rare Portraits" Kweli goes back through his history and the history in general of hip-hop ending on a powerful note: "From making the way for Kanye/to meetings with Mr. Harry Belafonte/All started on park benches with Dante" recalling Kweli's Black Star partner Dante Terrel Smith better known as Mos Def and their vital roll in the genre. "Inner Monologue" also has the feel of a successful elder statement assessing the scene and not exactly excited about with lines like: "Niggas don't get rich rapping, they selling clothes or liquor/My flow is sicker cause I flow with vigor/I'm no beginner, peep the whole agenda/Control my center cause I gravitate with Gravitas".

The disk starts off great with some thick musical tracks, there are layers of beats, instruments and sounds highlighted by Gary Clark Jr.'s guitar licks in "Demonology". As the disk progresses though Kweli moves to more new school beats like on the conspiracy theory shattering "The Wormhole" and musically things aren't as successful. The pairing of his elongated word flow and digital thin beats doesn't match well, same goes for the sped up tempo of "New Leaders" where Kweli has a lot to say but the dance beat jars up against his phrasing.

Guest selection on the disk is quality all around, adding a spice to the disk as Black Thought's opening verse on "Art Imitates" is a winner and Raekwon drops serious heat on disk highlight "Violations". 

A track like "State Of Grace" with hook from Abby Dobson is right in Kweli's wheelhouse, and a perfect summation of the album. Talib dissects the lack of female role models painting an amazing scene talking about a mother who "grew up loving hip hop/Now all her daughter got is "Love & Hip Hop"" ripping reality shows as easily as he rips absentee fathers. The track goes on for close to 6 minutes and this is what fans of Kweli love and others find tedious, he won't ever escape "conscious rapper" label but by continuing to put out albums like this why would he want to?            
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Back in the day we never really got into Black Star, a bit to stiff and heady hip-hop for us at the time but have appreciated things Kweli and Mos Def have done since. This is pretty solid, especially the first 5 tracks all worth checking out. 

Support the artist here, buy the album here, peep some video below: