I so enjoyed holding forth on my iPod music last year that I decided to do it again. Last year's review is HERE. Remember, this is strictly treadmill music. It needs to be loud, with a strong beat. For the most part, that means classic rock and blues for me. This was a very active year for new releases in this category.
CD of the Year: Rock of the Middle Ages Division
Hands down, not even even close, it is Peter Frampton's Thank you Mr. Churchill for my CD of the year. This is a guy who could always play the guitar and came from the standard blues roots for good rock and roll. You can look back to Humble Pie, paired with the now deceased Steve Marriott (Small Faces), Greg Ridley (Spooky Tooth) and Jerry Shirley, for proof of his bona fides. Humble Pie is purported to be the first band called "Heavy Metal" by Rolling Stone Magazine. Frampton went more pop with his 70's solo career, for which he is best known. This is a solid album with original songs and great guitar playing. It was released in April and I heard parts of it along with an interview on XM Radio's Deep Tracks channel. At the time, I was headed to meet the Devil Slide Track Club for The Relay -- there's the running connection. This album probably enjoyed the heaviest play on my iPod of the new albums this year. Peter Frampton is now a U.S. citizen and lives in Cincinnati. Go figure.
CD of the Year: Youth Division
A stellar live CD that includes influences of rock, blues and jazz is Roadsongs by the Derek Trucks Band. This is a double album, recorded in Chicago over two nights. Probably my second favorite this year, behind Peter Frampton. They range from traditional blues (Big Bill Broonzy's "Key to the Highway") to Derek and the Dominoes ("Anyday") to Dylan ("Down in the Flood") and to original compositions. They even manage to slip a little of the Buddy Miles/Band of Gypsies song "Them Changes" into "Get Out of My Life Woman." Trucks is the best young guitarist in America and this album has solid performances by him and the rest of the band, augmented by a hot horn section. I am not a big fan the vocalist, Mike Mattison, but to some his understated vocals are the perfect match to the ensemble quality of the band. I find the studio albums a little bland. Not the live performances. This band is all about live performances.
Just Not Compelling
The Who needed something to go with their Superbowl appearance. As a result, we have Greatest Hits Live. I tuned in just as they started playing and turned it off before the football game resumed. It was exciting to see them at the Superbowl, but I did not think that performance was great. Greatest Hits Live has better performances, but it is really nothing new. Of course, when you have a catalog like the Who, that is enough. A worthy addition for Who fans. The Steve Miller Band's first studio release in 17 years, Bingo, is mostly blues covers. I suppose if you are a composer but really don't have anything new to say, it is better to do covers than to force the issue. The songs all have Miller's three-part harmony and bouncy pop feel. My wife and I saw him at the Fillmore where he did both his hits and covers of several old blues numbers. That was a great show. This album is just bland.
Everything is Bigger in Texas
Have Blues Will Travel from Smokin' Joe Kubek and Bnois King is solid Texas roadhouse blues. Good guitar work. Nice blues numbers, many with good hooks, good lyrics and interesting vocals. I do not think it is their best album, but it is still a satisfying addition. Another famous Texan, Jimmie Vaughan, released Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites. His first album in nine years. This is more to the 50's R&B side than the blazing blues of Kubek and King or Chicago blues of Miller. It has the sharp and twangy electric sound, pre-Blues Breakers with Clapton distortion. The songs also reflect a little of the 40's big band era that preceded them. Where Miller is bland, this is interesting.
Seeing Red
Red Velvet Car is an album of new music from Heart, their first in six years. I though the last album, Jupiter's Darling, was great. My wife and I saw them at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on the tour for that album where they played one of the best shows I had ever seen. This album is a more acoustic, introspective effort. After Jupiter's Darling, I find it a disappointment. Still, give them credit for a solid job and new material. Likewise, I found Elvin Bishop's Red Dog Speaks a disappointment after his last album, The Blues Rolls On. On this one, the songs are not as good, the guests are not as strong, the sound is not as clear and the music does not flow as easily. This album just makes me want to go back and listen to The Blues Rolls On.
Direct from East L.A.
I was impressed with the performance of Los Lobos on the Crossroad Guitar Festival 2007 DVD. (Speaking of impressed -- there was also that bass player with Jeff Beck, Tal Wilkenfeld.) When they came to the Fillmore, my wife and I went. That was also a solid performance. So, I bought their new release, Tin Can Trust. It starts a little slow, but overall it is a good CD and a worthy addition to the iPod. The twin guitar jams are great and the vocals are solid. The album is the band's standard mix of blues, garage rock and Mexican. After my years in Los Angeles, I am a fan of Rock en Espanol and like the Mexican influence.
The Year's Rediscovery
The Rolling Stones remastered album, Exile on Main Street, was released this year and even included bonus tracks. I first took serious notice of the band with Sticky Fingers. I though that was the album where they became a rock band and not an oldies rock and roll band. Over the years they proved themselves one of rock's most adaptable bands as the music business and public taste changed. After Sticky Fingers, I thought this album was a complete disappointment. The songs seemed to drag and plod along with monotonous vocals and harmonies that were very imprecise. It did not have the raw energy or driving guitar of the bands I was listening to at the time. In fact, I think I traded the album for something else. With almost 40 years of perspective, I like the album a lot. The songs are interesting. The horns are nicely done and the layering of sound is good. I guess I have moved beyond the basic power trio approach. The bonus tracks are also good.
What I Skipped
I did not bother with the new Eric Clapton studio album, Clapton. His live projects -- Cream, Winwood, the Guitar Festivals, etc. -- are great. His studio albums now lean heavily toward adult contemporary. He does not have anything new or challenging to offer. He has always been an artist who was at his best when pushed or challenged by others. He is in that comfortable point in his career where he can do what he wants. This is what he wants - take it or leave it. I left it. Likewise, the new Carlos Santana album Guitar Heaven. That album is comprised of covers of what they bill as the greatest guitar classics of all time. The parts I heard sounded over produced and the guests wear thin. I think Santana has more to say with his own material than in reinterpreting the songs of other great guitar players. A decade later, the Supernatural formula is also wearing thin.
What I Missed
Late in the year, Robin Trower released a new CD, backed by his touring band. He will be touring this spring and the Fillmore is tentatively listed as a stop. I will be there. I still need to get my hands on the CD. Also released this year were new CD's from Ronnie Wood, Buddy Guy, Rick Derringer and Foghat that all looked interesting. The Doobie Brothers had a new release. Like Steve Miller, they tend a little more to the pop and adult contemporary side than I like. Still, their songs, like those of Miller, are accessible and drilled into my brain from decades of air play. I also saw the Doobies at the Fillmore and it was a solid, enjoyable show. So, I may need to get that CD, too.
Next Year
I have heard that Bob Seger will be issuing a new CD followed by a tour. I thought his last CD, Face the Promise, was great and I saw him at Oracle Arena on the supporting tour. I will do it all again if I have the opportunity. Also, Gregg Allman has a new CD due early next year. Finally, Jeff Beck has a tribute concert to the late Les Paul that will be released in 2011. It will be another great year of running on the treadmill with the iPod.
The Who needed something to go with their Superbowl appearance. As a result, we have Greatest Hits Live. I tuned in just as they started playing and turned it off before the football game resumed. It was exciting to see them at the Superbowl, but I did not think that performance was great. Greatest Hits Live has better performances, but it is really nothing new. Of course, when you have a catalog like the Who, that is enough. A worthy addition for Who fans. The Steve Miller Band's first studio release in 17 years, Bingo, is mostly blues covers. I suppose if you are a composer but really don't have anything new to say, it is better to do covers than to force the issue. The songs all have Miller's three-part harmony and bouncy pop feel. My wife and I saw him at the Fillmore where he did both his hits and covers of several old blues numbers. That was a great show. This album is just bland.
I like listening to house music while working out--but that's just me :D
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