Bob Dylan - Christmas In The Heart (2009)

I believe it's an easy assumption that lead vocals play a huge part in determining whether a listener enjoys a particular song or artist. This is particularly true of the more casual music fan. I remember a Philadelphia DJ making that same statement a few years ago while discussing 90s alt-rock band, Counting Crows. He said whether a listener is a fan of the band or not depends almost exclusively on how he or she views the voice of lead singer Adam Duritz. If you don’t find his vocals appealing the band is generally not your cup of tea regardless of whatever songwriting talent or musical chops the rest of the band may possess. I thought it ironic that Counting Crows was the band he used as an example because I've been quite opinionated about disliking Duritz's voice. I wrote the band off my list years ago for the sole reason I find his singing to be highly grating.

Most conventional pop music singers from the birth of recording to the dawn of rock and roll tended to sing, with only a few notable exceptions such as Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Jimmy Rushing, with a melodic smoothness typically exemplified by stars like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

As music evolved so did the voices that accompanied the more modern sounds. Elvis Presley's powerful voice suited his early rock, as well as gospel, country, and even the Vegas lounge music he performed later. Would Presley be considered a good vocalist in the days of the big bands or would his more flamboyant and powerful vocals have been too much for listeners who were used to Sinatra, Crosby, Perry Como, and Dean Martin?

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of the All Music Guide wrote the following on the online music site’s biography of Bob Dylan, "As a vocalist, he broke down the notion that a singer must have a conventionally good voice in order to perform, thereby redefining the vocalist's role in popular music." Erlewine is correct. Without Dylan’s groundbreaking success Tom Waits wouldn't have had the recording career he has enjoyed, nor would Marianne Faithful's later career received any attention, nor would have Duritz, and scores of other artists who attempt to vocalize on their records.

Why are so many people willing to listen to Dylan's voice because, no matter how you slice it, the man can not sing a lick? Is it because he offers us a lot more than just vocals and he therefore has acquired a license to express himself in ways a traditional vocalist can't? Does his less than attractive voice escape criticism because he is also recognized as an outstanding rock poet?

Is Dylan worth listening to if he only plays the part of a singer? It's a chance the folk-rock pioneer takes with the release of his Christmas CD, Christmas In The Heart. Listening to the songwriting icon cover hard to sing carols and songs such as "O Come All Ye Faithful," "The Christmas Song," The First Noel," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," can be excruciating. Dylan needs to remain the artist he has always been and leave the vocalizing to those who can. He was not born just to be a singer.

It's important to note that all of the proceeds from Christmas In The Heart are going to fight hunger in America this holiday season, and that is a very good thing, so I don't want to be too critical of the man. However, his disc makes me pose this question to all music lovers: what makes a good singer?

Do You Remember Cashman & West?

My lifelong passion for the Philadelphia Phillies is second only to my passion for music. For those of you not in North or South America, Japan, or South Korea, they’re a professional baseball team from The United States and currently the champions of the whole sport. Last week, for the second straight year, The Phillies qualified for The World Series and another chance to win it all. The Series begins Wednesday. I'm hoping they get to play the New York Yankees, winner of twenty-six Fall classics, so The Phillies, who have won only two, can show them who is the new boss.

The impending World Series got me thinking about baseball songs and Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey, and The Duke)" immediately flashed in my mind. From there my thoughts leaped easily to the early 70s pop duo Cashman & West. Cashman and Tommy West were soft-rock and pop singer-songwriters who are largely unknown today. The duo recorded three albums together but they were mostly known within the music business for writing songs for other artists and producing records for the late Jim Croce. Cashman and original partner Gene Pistilli, co-wrote "Sunday Will Never Be The Same," a hit for Spanky and Our Gang in 1967, and they also had a hit single themselves under the group name The Buchanan Brothers. Their song, "Medicine Man," went to #22 on the Billboard charts in 1969. Later they added West to the act, and after Pistilli left to join Manhattan Transfer, Cashman and West continued as a duo.

"American City Suite" opens side two of Cashman and West's first album, A Song Or Two (1972). It's a sad and moving set of songs about the decline of New York City in the 70s. It's lyrics are full of nostalgia and often border on maudlin. Still, the duo sincerely cares about their city and their old neighborhood. They long for what it once was, and are depressed over it's current state of affairs.

Cashman & West never recorded anything as serious as "American City Suite" again. The rest of their music was squeaky clean and often too saccharine for hard rocking music fans, yet I found stuff to enjoy on all of three of their albums.

Moondog Serenade followed A Song Or Two in 1973 and Lifesong, released soon after, completed their recording career as a duo. However, they still worked as a team behind the scenes. They started their own label, named after their last album, and signed Henry Gross who they sent into the top ten in 1976 with the song "Shannon." Cashman continued as a solo act and eventually released his well known baseball novelty song in 1981. He later recorded a version for every major league team in existence at the time. In the 90s, West opened his own record company and recording studio in New Jersey.

Today, the only way to get the music C & W recorded together is to purchase a single disc compilation titled The Very Best Of Cashman & West. The CD has songs from all three original albums. Unfortunately it contains one major flaw: a truncated version of "American City Suite."

Here are the lyrics to "American City Suite" and a YouTube clip of the entire performance.

Brandi Carlile - Give Up The Ghost (2009)

Twenty-eight year old Brandi Carlile just released her third CD last week to much deserved critical acclaim.

Unlike 2007's The Story, produced by T Bone Burnett, Give Up The Ghost, is a more rocking affair with Rick Rubin at the helm. The livelier first half of the disc trumps the more folky singer-songwriter oriented songs of the second half but that does not mean Carlile should have left the quieter stuff on the cutting room floor. To the contrary, the second half only pales by comparison. If tracks one through five were released as a separate EP, and songs six through eleven were issued the same way, and you listened to either one without ever hearing the other, you would still be very impressed by everything you heard.

The buoyant melodies, harmonies, and arrangements of the rockers may have you tapping your toes even while Carlile continues to be a serious songwriter. The opening track, "Looking Out" contains the heavy lines, "I laid a suitcase on my chest so I could feel somebody's weight." The tune ends with the declaration "Someone loves you," and because it does, we know it's OK for the song to sound so upbeat. "Dying Day," written by Carlile's guitarist and close friend Tim Hanseroth, offers more deep thoughts yet the song is never morose. It's rocking workout helps the listener understand that while Carlile is often "lost in a sea of drunken screams" we also know that everything will turn out fine because she is "gonna love you 'til my dying day."

Carlile's childhood idol, Elton John, who proves here that he has never gotten enough credit for his piano playing, is featured on the terrific "Caroline." The single, "Dreams," is about physical love, and "That Year" is about dealing with a friend's suicide ten years later.

Carlile relies on her two main sidemen, the Hanseroth twins, more than ever. This time around she only wrote three of the songs without their assistance. Amy Ray, Benmont Tench, and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers all lend a hand in the studio.

Give Up The Ghost, a late entry for album of the year honors, is a must for all lovers of Americana rock. No other label fits this hybrid of folk, modern country, and rock 'n roll that is a perfect backdrop for the singer's powerful and beautiful voice.

This album has it all.

John Mayall - The Turning Point (1969)

I've been hoping to discuss some current releases but not much new stuff has come my way lately, so let's take another ride on the Wayback Machine to talk about British blues powerhouse, John Mayall.

Mayall's most important gift to rock' n roll lies not with his own playing, singing, and songwriting but with his tremendous ability to discover outstanding talent. Among the all-stars and Hall of Famers whose careers he helped launch are Peter Green, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood who all eventually left to organize Fleetwood Mac. Mick Taylor left Mayall to replace Brian Jones in the Rolling Stones, and Andy Fraser started Free. His most illustrious 60s graduate, Eric Clapton, wrote on Mayall's website, "John Mayall has actually run an incredibly great school for musicians." Clapton eventually left Mayall too and formed Cream with Jack Bruce, another of the bandleader's prodigies.

We can debate forever what Mayall's best records are, and many blues lovers would easily choose the album he did with Clapton, Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton. However, his most famous work, even if it wasn't his best, came several years after Clapton left to become a major guitar hero. It was in 1969, not long after Taylor left, that The Turning Point was recorded live at the Fillmore East.

The Turning Point is unique because the concert and the subsequent album release featured an all acoustic quartet and no drummer, something unheard of in hard rocking 1969. Mayall played harmonica and acoustic guitar, Johnny Almond played sax and flute, Jon Mark played, according to Mayall, "acoustic finger-style guitar," and Steve Thompson was the bassist. Mark and Almond left not long after the album was released to form their own band.

Among the songs are the album's best known track, the exuberant classic "Room to Move," a piece that became famous for Mayall's mouth percussion gimmick, and there is the topical rant that opened the album, "The Laws Must Change," a song expressing his views on legalizing marijuana. However, the best tracks have bassist Thompson and woodwind player Almond stealing the show. Because this concert was "unplugged" (a term that was not yet used in 1969) the former's bass is front and center while the latter proved he can play with any bluesman or jazz band anywhere. Both shine on "Thoughts About Roxanne" and "California."

Mayall's vocals can be a distraction but once you get beyond them The Turning Point is definitely a very rewarding experience.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (1959)

I've always liked jazz, but I'm far from an expert, which is why I seldom write about the genre sometimes known as "America's Classical Music." I don't want to come off looking foolish. However, Dave Brubeck's Time Out, the first instrumental jazz album to sell one million copies, is celebrating it's fiftieth anniversary this year so it's time to take a look at one of the most famous jazz recordings of all time. Time Out is the ultimate classic by Brubeck's quartet and it's one of those rare records that have always been appreciated by both jazz aficionados and pop music fans alike.

Time Out is famous for being one of the first jazz records to employ unusual time signatures. Until this album most jazz was in either 3/4 or 4/4 time. Brubeck dared to use 5/4 and even 9/8 time signatures while offering up some of the most melodic jazz ever put on vinyl. Brubeck's piano and Paul Desmond's saxophone received most of the attention even though the rhythm section of Eugene Wright on bass and Joe Morello on drums were outstanding. Morello, especially, has never received the accolades he deserves for his unique work on this disc.

"Take Five," Desmond's only composition on the record, is the stunner and it became a huge crossover hit. It even broke ground on mainstream radio in an era of rockabilly, doo-wop, and teen idols. The LP's opener, "Blue Rondo A La Turk," with it's tempo changes and offbeat arrangement is the album's other standout track.

Why did this album and "Take Five" find their way on to the pop charts? By 1959 Elvis Presley's stock had already started to plummet, and the British invasion was still a few years away from shaking up the planet, so there wasn't a whole lot of quality pop music available. Maybe the answer is that during this dark period between two musical eras that became cultural phenomenons the public was clamoring for something more substantial and Brubeck's band simply found a way to satisfy that need.

Mary Travers: R. I. P.

Folk-rock hit it big in the mid-60s. It became one of the dominant sub-genres of rock for about a decade with bands like Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds leading the way. Even today many bands continue to fuse folk music with their rock 'n roll. However, there was a time in the early 60s, before Bob Dylan plugged in, when real folk music actually generated hit records that were played on the radio. In the forefront were Peter, Paul, and Mary who became huge stars in 1962. The group earned gold records and won Grammy awards.

I've always been one of Peter, Paul, and Mary's fans and I will miss them working together because Mary Travers, the female voice of the group, died yesterday of leukemia at age 72.

Travers' beautiful alto had much to do with the trio's success. She was the lead singer on their hit single of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind," a tune that became their signature song. She also sang lead on "If I Had A Hammer," Leaving On A Jet Plane," and more. The trio can be credited, along with Joan Baez, for helping push Dylan's music into the mainstream. People who were not won over by his frequently off-putting vocal style soon realized how great of a songwriter he was by listening to Peter, Paul, and Mary cover his work. "Too Much of Nothing," another hit with a great vocal performance by Travers, is further proof of how good Dylan's songs were when performed by real singers.

All three members had a great sense of melody and harmony and they possessed a lighthearted stage presence that prevented them from coming across as too self-important. In fact, before PP&M, Noel Paul Stookey once pursued a career as a stand up comic.

I know the trio's liberal to far-left politics may not sit very well with a whole bunch of people. They were often visible at anti-Viet Nam War protests and civil rights marches and sometimes they even allowed themselves to be deliberately arrested for their causes. Forty-seven years after they had their first hit records their beliefs never wavered. Today I am asking anyone who enjoys outstanding vocals and great songs to look beyond their politics and thank Travers and her two friends, Peter Yarrow and Stookey, for their five decades of great singing together.

Black 47 - Iraq (2008)

The very left-wing Larry Kirwan has never been afraid to tackle deep and controversial subjects with his music. He has written about "Bobby Sands, MP," tackled homosexuality on Black 47's updated version of "Danny Boy," recorded a song titled "Bobby Kennedy," wrote about Paul Robeson, and named dropped James Joyce in a song.

Even for the outspoken Kirwan it is really brave, and maybe a bit over the top, to devote a whole album to the war in Iraq, yet that is exactly what he does on Black 47's latest CD, Iraq. He sings about "Sadr City," "The Battle of Fallujah," and honored war protester Cindy Sheehan with her own song. As always, Kirwan is very critical of the former Bush administration.

Much of the inspiration for Iraq comes from the real life experiences that Black 47 fans have shared with the band. Many of the soldiers who returned home from Iraq come from the side of the political spectrum Kirwan never crosses, yet his lyrics succeed in giving the brave men and women who fought for us overseas the respect they deserve. It is because of former and founding member Chris Byrne (a member of the NYPD during his Black 47 career) that Kirwan writes about the band's diverse fan base on his website. "Because of our background, we've always had as strong a fan base of right wing cops, firemen and conservatives, as of left wing students, radicals, and the working disaffected..." "Southside Chicago Waltz" is about one of these young Black 47 fans."

Production-wise, this is the loudest album the Celtic-rockers have ever recorded. The volume, especially Kirwan's electric guitar, is cranked up to ten, too often making the all important lyrics hard to comprehend. While Black 47 have never been a quiet band Kirwan's vocals have always been upfront and that is extremely important for a writer as literate as he. However, because his voice is often lost in the mix the tragic and moving tales are frequently buried under the noisy, industrial sounding clatter. That's unfortunate because the subject matter deserves more.

The Richie Furay Band Live at the Sellersville Theater, August 30, 2009

On Sunday, August 30, 2009, The Richie Furay Band played live at the Sellersville Theater, in Sellersville, PA. Furay took the stage with his current band who, not coincidentally, are all parishioners of the church he leads in Broomfield, CO. Furay plays acoustic and electric guitar and handles lead vocals while his indispensable sideman, Scott Sellen, contributes lead guitar, banjo, pedal steel, keyboards, plus harmony and background vocals. Furay's daughter, Jesse Furay Lynch, sings harmonies and plays percussion, Sellen's son, Aaron, is the bassist, and Alan Lemke, Aaron's best man at his recent wedding over which Furay presided, is the drummer.

Don't let the lineup fool you. This band can really play. Sellen is one of those consummate, multi-talented sidemen who can shift gears and change instruments at the drop of a hat. Lynch is a very good harmony and background vocalist. She is pursuing a professional singing career and in June Furay traveled with her to Nashville for her own recording sessions.

The show featured a couple of songs from Furay's latest mainstream CD of 2006, The Heartbeat of Love, two songs from his devotional releases, and an old, yet never recorded, Furay composition sung by Lynch. The rest of the evening offered an excellent program of well known Buffalo Springfield, Poco, and Souther, Hillman, Furay Band tunes. In addition to "Crazy Eyes," we were treated to an electric version of "Pickin' Up The Pieces," and country-rock standards "Just For Me and You," "Good Feeling To Know," "Kind Woman, "Go and Say Goodbye," "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing," A Child's Claim To Fame, and more.

The Heartbeat of Love is the first mainstream work released by Furay in more than two decades. Lynch and Sellen are everywhere on the disc and the latter co-wrote a few of the songs with him. There are many guest appearances by the bandleader's old friends. Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Rusty Young, Paul Cotton, Timothy B. Schmidt, and Kenny Loggins are among them.

The twelve song CD features updated versions of "Kind Woman" and "Let's Dance Tonight." Because of his Christianity I'm sure Furay avoided writing anything too provocative or controversial so most of the rest of the disc is full of new songs about love in all of its various stages. If you are not bothered by his overly syrupy lyrics (most of them feature the words "love" and "heart" in abundance) this disc is outstanding. "Callin' Out Your Name," "You and Me," and the title track are all great radio songs that could have been huge hits if released in the 70s.

The vocals, the country-rock arrangements, the production, and the overall presentation of the disc are superb. Furay can still hit the high notes with ease even though his tenor has deepened slightly over the years. Age has given him a fuller and richer voice and that is a good thing.

Works Progress Administration

Last week a nasty thunderstorm flooded out my only chance to see a free outdoor performance of Works Progress Administration, a cool new band loaded with veteran rockers who have histories with some of music's most respected artists. WPA can be described as a country-folk band with a rock 'n roll attitude.

WPA describes the group as an "expandable collective," meaning there are three core members and five non-permanent members who frequently join the big three as often as their lives and careers allow. The permanent members are Luke Bulla who played with Lyle Lovett, Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek, and Glen Phillips formerly of the alt-rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket.

They explain the term "expandable collective" on their website as follows: "We recorded our record with additional members Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Greg Leisz (Bill Frisell, Joni Mitchell), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters), and Davey Faragher (Cracker, the Imposters). While we would love to have that complete community be present all the time, the logistics of getting all of us in the same place at the same time are fairly mind boggling, so we will usually appear as a 4 or 5 piece (listed as Core Band on the tour page), but whenever possible we will have 7 or 8 people (Expanded Band). All configurations will kick ass."

WPA is:
Glen Phillips – vocals, guitar
Sean Watkins – guitar, vocals
Luke Bulla – fiddle, vocals, guitar

With:
Sara Watkins – fiddle, vocals
Benmont Tench – piano, organ
Greg Leisz – pedal steel
Pete Thomas – drums
Davey Faragher – bass
The original WPA was a government program created by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The agency provided millions of jobs for the unemployed. Artwork remembering the WPA is a central theme of the band's website.

You can listen to three tracks from their first CD due out in September, 2009. "Always Have My Love" sounds like it was recorded with radio in mind.

John Fogerty - Revival (2007)

Creedence Clearwater Revival is definitely one of America’s all time great rock 'n roll bands. Today, John Fogerty continues to make CDs that sound just like CCR and that is fine with his fans because his loud, bluesy, swamp rock sound has always been an undeniable treat. The only difference between the music Fogerty currently makes and a typical Creedence album is that his latter day solo works lack the knockout singles that CCR issued with astounding regularity back in their heyday. That said, Fogerty’s music is still high quality work worthy of your attention.

Revival, Fogerty’s latest, is louder than his more country influenced comeback of 1997, Blue Moon Swamp, and more intense than 2004’s Deja Vu All Over Again, although it lacks the killer signature radio song that was its predecessor’s title track.

Politics is a major theme on Revival, and at times the subject is too pointed, as Fogerty’s screaming and ranting at George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney prove on "Long Dark Night." Calling them all out by name is a bit over the top. The song is just too angry to work well. Better is "Gunslinger," a far more subtle, more intelligent, and therefore more successful, attempt at making the same points. When it was recorded most of the world had never heard of Barack Obama, yet listening to the song today it’s easy to interpret the current President to be the intended gunslinger that Fogerty wishes would arrive in town to save the day.

Then there is "Creedence Song," a track that can be seen as Fogerty's tribute to himself and his band. It’s a little out of character for a man who for decades tried to bury his CCR past. It can also be seen as bragging. "Summer of Love" celebrates an event that suffered through its fortieth anniversary at the time this CD was recorded. Upon reflection, the summer of ’67 turned out to be mostly about sex and drugs. The "love" discussed so much back then has long since disappeared from a scene that is no longer so groovy.

Revival is a fine effort marred only by Fogerty’s too many attempts to relive his glory days, celebrate a period in time that doesn’t really need reliving, or rail against the government. Musically it’s great although lyrically the disc won’t win him any young converts. However, I don’t think the rocker cares. He is targeting his music at his original fans and mostly succeeds.