Something Else!

Alice Cooper - The Eyes of Alice Cooper (2003): Shadows in Stereo

Alice Cooper – The Eyes of Alice Cooper (2003): Shadows in Stereo

By accident or design, ‘The Eyes of Alice Cooper’ is as close as it comes to the classics from Alice Cooper’s glory days.

Vinyl

Jack DeJohnette, with Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison – In Movement (2016)

What you get when DeJohnette combines with guys named Coltrane and Garrison doesn’t exactly square up with the mental picture (or rather, mental music) most jazzbos might imagine when those three names are put together. Nonetheless, ‘In Movement’ is no less gratifying.

Chicago, "Memories of Love" from 'Chicago II' (1970): Saturdays in the Park

Chicago, “Memories of Love” from ‘Chicago II’ (1970): Saturdays in the Park

“Memories of Love” is both an oddity and a perfect fit for ‘Chicago II.’

Vinyl

Charlie Parker – Unheard Bird (2016)

Come on a journey with Charlie Parker. Hear the trials, the outtakes and the false starts of some of his most memorable tunes.

Toto, "Lion" from Isolation (1984): Toto Tuesdays

Toto, “Lion” from Isolation (1984): Toto Tuesdays

Lyrically direct yet with a playful turn on the word “lion,” this Fergie Frederiksen-sung Toto song is sharp, funky and precise.

Vinyl

Jeff Oster – Jeff Oster Live! (2016)

With the funky-tight ‘Jeff Oster Live!’, Oster and his band replicate the sophistication of the studio as well as the immediacy of the stage.

Vinyl

Blackberry Smoke, “Waiting on the Thunder” from Like an Arrow (2016): One Track Mind

Blackberry Smoke’s last album needed a little more grit. If “Waiting for the Thunder” is any indication, maybe we’ll get some of that back.

Vinyl

Mark Dresser, “TrumpinPutinStoopin” from Sedimental You (2016): Something Else! sneak peek

There couldn’t have been a timelier song title than this theatrically creative nugget from master bassist/composer Mark Dresser.

Vinyl

Allan Holdsworth – Tales From The Vault (2016)

Mostly an alternative presentation of ‘Road Games’, Allan Holdsworth’s chaff is superior to most guitarists’ wheat and after fifteen years of no studio material cut loose, it’s good to see any production from him.

Vinyl

Steven Tyler – We’re All Somebody From Somewhere (2016)

I wasn’t going to listen to Steven Tyler’s new country-influenced album, but I’m such an Aerosmith fanboy that I unfortunately just couldn’t resist.