Sounds good to me / Brian Beesley
Capsule reviews of four new albums that have gotten repetitive airplay on my nifty little pocket jukebox ... at least until I ran it through the washing machine this week.Yeah, well, wasnt the first time; probably wont be the last.
King Kong, Vols. I-III" Bob SchneiderOver the past decade, Schneider has steadily become one of my go-to musicians. His stuff reminds me of a Texas version of Jimmy Buffett: sentimental and playful, his songs profound one minute and profane the next. Hes a clever guy who knows how to craft tunes that stick in your head, and this 15-track set (released in three volumes) is, as we used to say in the 70s, all killer and no filler. Schneider constructing swatches of bemused observation using a variety of styles: rock, pop, funk (Ready Lets Roll), country and even reggae (The Unknown), and does it all with ease. While they will occasionally poke around in the darkness (Montgomery), his songs prefer to bounce around in the light (Into the Sun, Han Solo).
Grade: A
Recommended tracks: Han Solo, The Stars Over Your House, You Be Alright, King Kong, Montgomery.
All a Man Should Do LuceroThis Memphis bands latest album harkens back to the Stones of the early 1970s, blending rock, R&B, funk and a dash of country. All ... is a musical search for many things shelter, retribution, release, and even Warren Zevons Los Angeles knitting hooks and horns around tales of personal failing. Songwriter and lead singer Ben Nichols gritty voice brings these scenes to life, barking out the words like a man wrestling with multiple demons (The Man I Was, My Girl & Me in 93). But there are some upbeat tracks to even things out (Throwback No. 2, Young Outlaws).
Grade: A-
Recommended tracks: Cant You Hear Them Howl, Went Looking for Warren Zevons Los Angeles, Throwback No. 2, They Called Her Killer.
Neon Repairman Freedy JohnstonFive years after the loungey, jazz-inflected Rain on the City, Johnston returns with a crowd-funded album of typical compositions. It starts with the title track, an homage to Jimmy Webbs Wichita Lineman, but unfortunately, its a bit of a tedious listen. Things pick quickly up with the plaintive pleas of Baby, Baby Come Back, and the rockabilly of TV in My Arms. The rest of the album sounds like youd expect a Freedy Johnston album to sound, drawing you in with quirky scenes of human endeavor set to toe-tapping tunes. There are enough nuggets here to keep you interested, but overall, it doesnt quite match up with Johnstons earlier masterworks.
Grade: B
Recommended tracks: TV in My Arms, Baby, Baby Come Home, Sentimental Heart.
Beautiful You The WaifsI tend to gravitate to folk-rock that sports a beat, and this one grabbed my ear right away. Id almost classify it as Americana, except the group led by sisters Donna Simpson and Vicki Horn and vocalist Josh Cunningham hails from Australia. With Beautiful You, they plow the same fertile ground that groups like The Band and CCR tilled four and a half decades earlier. These songs quickly wend their way into your brain with their inviting, earthy, resonant acoustics and sweet vocals, and the pictures they paint stay there.
Grade: A
Recommended tracks: Black Dirt Track, Beautiful You, Somebodys Gonna Get Hurt, Cracks of Dawn, Born to Love.
Listen to the track referred to here on Spotify: ---
Beesley is 360 production editor. His email is beez@lmtribune.com .