Bloggerhythms

The Black Keys are as diverse as The Beatles' were beginning with Rubber Soul through the end of their days and that usually resulted in fans of the latter loving everything they released. However, in the case of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney it sometimes means that not everyone will be satisfied with all of their work, the best example being the duo's supremely misguided rap record, Blackroc (2009). Fortunately, their latest, Turn Blue , is one you should place on your "thumbs up" list. The boys' latest is 1970s arena rock sprinkled with psychedelia and a bit of R&B tossed in on the vocals (Like I said, eclectic). Less gritty than the rockers' early, more blues based discs the pristine production contributes to this being a very different sounding album than those from a decade ago when they began paying regular visits to the Hot 100. There is the excellent "Weight of Love," the album's opening salvo, that is repeatedly and accura...

1967 was the year of "Flower Power," peace signs, and Haight-Ashbury. Both pop music and Western culture were changing rapidly and drastically but the British Invasion was still in full bloom as the former empire continued to send hits to the upper reaches of the American record charts in a big way. Popular in Britain since around the time The Beatles became a sensation there, The Tremeloes finally hit America with "Here Comes My Baby," a song written and recorded by Cat Stevens on his debut album, Matthew & Son (1967). Stevens' original version is much more pop-oriented than the music we came to know as his style and his voice is not instantly recognizable. When I first learned that he wrote "Here Comes My Baby" I was quite surprised. The song's universal appeal is evident by the fact that outfits as different as The Mavericks and Yo La Tengo have issued good cover versions of it, but The Tremeloes single continues to b...

For her fifth studio album Brandi Carlile decided it was time for a change. Her subject matter remains the same, she still writes about missing her youth, family, friends, and how much they all mean to her. The difference is how these subjects are presented. On The Firewatcher's Daughter the veteran but still young artist continues to record songs with folk inclinations but she also rocks like never before and the album has a looser feel to it because everything was recorded in one take. Nothing was over rehearsed. The twelve song album still has the Hanseroth twins by Carlile's side and they serve once again as full collaborators, not just as prominent sidemen in her band. The trio composes together and separately sharing writing credits almost equally. The only area in which the star dominates is vocally. She continues to be the lead voice on all of the songs and is the dominant personality and frontwoman of her domain. "Mainstream Kid" has a definite ...

To these ears there has never been a more outstanding guitar player than Mark Knopfler. What he does better than most of the men who shred for a living, and are revered for it, is that he frequently plays with tasteful restraint. It's not that he can't break your eardrums, he most certainly can, and he proved it with the phenomenal "Telegraph Road" from Love Over Gold but even when he demonstrates his virtuosity with one of his great solos it's always in service to the song, not merely an attempt to show off his chops. Why? Because the Scotsman is a very good songwriter too. Knopfler has had four separate careers. Early on he was the leader of a quartet that started out as a little pub band. You should all know that outfit as Dire Straits. Secondly, Knopfler is also a talented composer of movie soundtracks. Local Hero , Cal , and The Princess Bride are just a few on a larger list. Most of this music can be listened to as entities unto themselves rathe...