Wayne Toups and Zydecajun ‘Blast From the Bayou’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#389 in the Series) is Wayne Toups and Zydecajun, Blast From the Bayou This is one of the highlights about working for a music distributor. Having a label rep walk into your office and have him toss a little nugget like this on your desk. I was a fan of Cajun music for quite some time. I had a few albums, Buckwheat Zydeco, etc., but not too many, definitely not enough. Getting this helped my library. Wayne Toups and Zydecajun were a mainstay of the New Orleans music scene in the Eighties, in fact they still are. This was an interesting release. It contained some fantastic original tunes such as “Sweet Joline,” ”Two...
Chris Isaak “Baja Sessions”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#369 in the Series) is Chris Isaak, Baja Sessions OK, let’s cut straight to the chase here. This album was never going to be a ground-breaking, innovative classic. It was never going to change the face of modern music and it was never going to be sitting atop any “Greatest Album Of The Decade” polls. Heck , it’s probably not even Isaak’s best album. It was never about that. What it IS about though, undoubtedly, is a whole lot of laid-back, easy-going summertime fun ! Pure and simple. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that now is there ? Sometime in the early 90’s, Chris Isaak and his band found themselves down in...
Everything But The Girl “Walking Wounded”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#361 in the Series) is Everything But the Girl, Walking Wounded. In 1996, Everything But The Girl released their 8th studio album and it boasted a completely different sound and feel to any of their earlier efforts. Casual observers may have been slightly surprised but for long – term admirers it was simply the next logical step. A Brief Historical Detour: Ben Watts and Tracey Thorn met each other in 1981 when both attended Hull University and, by strange coincidence, both had just signed as solo artists to Cherry Red Records. They teamed up, professionally and personally, and formed EBTG which was really a band in name only, it consisted primarily of those two...
BoDeans “Joe Dirt Car’
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#359 in the Series) is BoDeans, Joe Dirt Car. Today we once again take a look at a live album. As you probably know, we only do this on Saturdays. This one is from the Waukesha, Wisconsin band the BoDeans. The BoDeans hit the scene in the mid-80s. They’re still going strong today. They are led by two front men, guitar vocalists Kurt Neumann and Sam Llanas. After those two, it’s been a complete revolving door. It didn’t start off that way. They were a pretty stable band from the start to the early-90s. Bassist Bob Griffin was around for a long time as well. To me, The BoDeans started off strongly. I...
Morrissey “Vauxhall And I”
Today’s Cool Album Of the Day (#354 in the Series) is Morrissey, Vauxhall And I Morrissey is, for many, the best singer and lyricist to emerge in the last 30 years. And Vauxhall And I is his greatest album. “How can you tell?” I hear you cry, “They all sound the same!” That’s a pretty common accusation from non-Moz fans and, to be fair, there’s a grain of truth in it. Stylistically, he doesn’t change things too much, he’s found his groove and he’s staying in it. There’s been the occasional foray into experimental territory (almost exclusively confined to extra tracks on his singles) but, by and large, his stuff sounds pretty much the same as it did way...
P.J. Harvey “Rid Of Me”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#341 in the Series) is P.J. Harvey, Rid of Me PJ Harvey’s second album sounded like a cry for help. Which was strange really since, on the surface at least, things seemed to be going pretty well. Her first two singles, especially “Dress”, and her debut album had been met with tremendous reviews and great acclaim from fans and the critics. Even better, she was loved by the legendary DJ John Peel, a man whose seal of approval could be the making of your entire career. Those first records had been released by the relatively small London-based indie label Too Pure but such was their impact that Harvey soon found herself signed up...
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds “The Boatman’s Call”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#335 in the Series) is Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Boatman’s Call Long cited as one of the world’s best (albeit relatively unknown) songwriters, Nick Cave at last came out with the classic album that many had suspected he was capable of. And this time it was personal. Considered one of the heirs to Leonard Cohen’s throne, his worked had often explored similar themes, not least the biblical. However, due to its unremitting focus on matters of the heart, specifically the bitterness of broken relationships and their aftermath, The Boatman’s Call would seem to have more in common with Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks. Sensing that these songs didn’t need much...
The New York Rock and Soul Review “Live at the Beacon”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#332 in the Series, and #26 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is New York Rock and Soul Review, Live at the Beacon. I remember when I first heard about this project back in 1991. I was thrilled. For one, I knew it would be great. However, the main reason I was thrilled was because it had been forever since I had a Steely Dan or a Donald Fagen fix! Steely Dan’s Gaucho was released in 1980. Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly was released in 1982. When Live at the Beacon was released we had been on a nine year drought. I was so excited. I was even more excited to hear about the...
The Jayhawks “Tomorrow the Green Grass”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#312 in the Series) is The Jayhawks, Tomorrow the Green Grass. A lot of great music has come out of Minneapolis, but I think of the Replacements, Husker Du, or Prince as acts that are identified with the Twin City area. The Jayhawks have a much different feel, and their alt- country-rock sound is just the kind of music that made an impact in the 90’s. Tomorrow the Green Grass was their 4th album, and the final release with Mark Olson. The Jayhawks continued on with a more pop feel for three more albums, fronted by founding member Gary Louris. When the band formed in 1985, they were opening for Alex Chilton in...
Steve Earle and the Dukes “Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#297 in the Series, and #21 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is Steve Earle and the Dukes, Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator. Steve Earle kicked off his career with two “4-Star”- country-rock, Americana, singer-songwriter styled albums. Then he decided to change his band and resurfaced with a bit of a harder sound. That sound was evident on Copperhead Road and also on The Hard Way. This live album was released from recordings of that tour. I loved those first two albums and was quite glad that a good chunk of them are represented here. We needed some good live versions of “Guitar Town, Someday, Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough), I Ain’t...
