Post Tagged with: "Rhythm and blues"

Vinyl

Forgotten series: The JB Horns – Funky Good Time/Live (1993)

by Nick DeRiso Maceo Parker — leader of the ferocious JB Horns, James Brown‘s band and musical backbone back in the day — once put it all in perspective, introducing a song from the stage: “We like to play two percent jazz … and 98 percent funky stuff.” You MayRead More

Vinyl

Victor – Transparent (2011)

by Nick DeRiso Neo-soul singer Victor Nelson, in an aptly titled new disc, doesn’t try to hide his emotions on Transparent. In fact, across 10 songs (nine of them self-penned), the vocalist opens up completely. That raw, tender-hearted emotion finds a home in comfy musical surroundings, as Victor references manyRead More

Vinyl

Aaron Neville – I Know I’ve Been Changed (2010)

With a voice that’s axiomatically compared with winged messengers from God, Aaron Neville’s gospel records ought to form the cornerstone of his resume, right? Instead, the New Orleans singing legend’s two previous attempts felt too forced, like being dragged into church. Not this one. Neville, paired with producer Joe HenryRead More

Vinyl

Deep Cuts: Ray Charles, "Am I Blue" (1959)

“Am I Blue” is a largely forgotten argument for Ray Charles’ striking ability to synthesize jazz, blues, country and gospel into music with a broader appeal. That’s saying something, considering that it appears on The Genius of Ray Charles, a half-big band/half-strings Atlantic release that became one of his mostRead More

Vinyl

Dr. John + the Meters – ‘Desitively Bonnaroo’ (1974)

Even today, there’s still no roadmap for Dr. John and the Meters’ crazy-eyed co-mingling of R&B, jazz, island beats, blues, boogie funk and hoodoo.

Vinyl

Corinne Bailey Rae – The Love EP (2011)

by Nick DeRiso Corinne Bailey Rae isn’t the same singer, maybe isn’t even the same person, that she was at the time of her celebrated 2007 debut. Three Grammy nominations, including one for best new artist, couldn’t shield her from this world’s knifing truths: Her husband, 31-year-old saxophonist Jason Rae,Read More

Vinyl

Mavis Staples, “Last Train” (2010): One Track Mind

Photograph by Spencer Tweedy Over the course of a remarkable career, both with her family band the Staple Singers and as a solo artist, gospel-soul icon Mavis Staples has bravely explored the frustrations, sorrows and then joys of the African-American freedom fight. But, lest we forget, she can still rockRead More

Vinyl

One Track Mind: Tony Joe White, "Tell Me Why" (2010)

by Nick DeRiso While much of Tony Joe White’s new recording “The Shine” feels so bare-bones as to be undercooked, the muscular “Tell Me Why” bubbles up with the rough moral drama of a storyteller’s yarn. Still standing, despite years unjustly spent outside fame’s spotlight, White hasn’t stopped believing inRead More

Vinyl

Billy Preston, “Outa-Space” (1972): One Track Mind

A massive reissue project from Apple Records had me digging back through the old Billy Preston sides. None is more titanically funky, and lastingly influential, than “Outa-Space,” with its grease-fire groove and afro-shaking new clavinet sound. “Outa-Space” is not to be confused with his similarly named No. 4 hit ofRead More

Vinyl

Tony Joe White – The Shine (2010)

As a Louisiana-born singing and songwriting swamp pop legend, Tony Joe White is a guy we like a lot around here but never gotten around to singing his praises. His new album The Shine, released last September 26, gives us the perfect occasion to do so. The originator of hitsRead More