Here’s a look back at the Top 10 stories from last month on SomethingElseReviews.com, based on page views from our readers. No. 10 — THE MEKONS – ANCIENT AND MODERN: Only a band like the Mekons could make something like Ancient and Modern, this whipsawing triumph of country contemplation andRead More
On this special edition of Something Else! Reviews’ One Track Mind, we hand the reins over to blues legend Duke Robillard, founder of Roomful of Blues and former member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. You May Also Like: How Pee Wee Ellis Finally Stepped Into the Spotlight With ‘Blues Mission’
After a desultory, red-light district blast of horns, the Wynton Marsalis-led Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra settles into this funereal rhythm, swaying from side to side as Eric Clapton rips off a few blues-simmered, heartfelt asides. If you hadn’t checked the liner notes, the song itself — a signature momentRead More
Duke Robillard, co-founder of Roomful of Blues and a former member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, has earned high praise from none other than B.B. King — who labeled him “one of the great players.” You May Also Like: Nick Finzer’s Thoughtful ‘Hear and Now’ Also Honors Duke Ellington: Something Else!Read More
Rufus Thomas, R&B scamp and known ass-shaker about town, was the ripe old age of 53 when this single was released. He hadn’t lost one bit of arm-flapping gusto. Yet, “Do The Funky Chicken” still came out of nowhere. Thomas’s label, Memphis-based Stax, had recently severed ties with Atlantic Records,Read More
The lyrics have changed over these many years, but the mythical journey of Stagger Lee — “that bad man, oh, cru-el Stagolee” who shot a card-playing companion over a five-dollar Stetson hat — remains this talismanic tale. You May Also Like: Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ – Tajmo (2017)
Blues records used to routinely sound like this: Loose and fun, almost anarchic in their pursuit of nothing more than good-time joy and real-time emotion. You May Also Like: How Pee Wee Ellis Finally Stepped Into the Spotlight With ‘Blues Mission’
Asked to describe this new album, Canadian guitarist Tim Vaughn said: “It’s like Prince, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and Radiohead all met Los Lobos at a bar in “From Dusk Til’ Dawn,” and Jack White was playing there with Elvis Costello.” Thing is, as knee-slappingly over-the-top asRead More
Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, a former sideman with Muddy Waters who became a Grammy-winning performer in his own right, has died. You May Also Like: How Muddy Waters Came Roaring Back With ‘Hard Again’
I came in expecting blues grit, something kind of dangerous — after all, New Orleans singer Olga Wilhelmine Munding has been doing that for a while. You May Also Like: Why Bruce Dickinson’s ‘Tattooed Millionaire’ Keeps Revealing New Layers Little Freddie King – ‘Fried Rice & Chicken’ (2018)
