Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#930 in the Series) is Philip Bailey, Chinese Wall. Chinese Wall is Earth, Wind and Fire vocalist Philip Bailey’s second solo album. It was released in 1984 and it follows Continuation from the previous year. Continuation did…. OK, but not great. It peaked at #72 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart.  Chinese Wall reached #22.  Why the difference? Well, mainly it was because of Phil Collins, but we’ll also say that it did have a bunch of good songs on it too. So what did Phil Collins have to do with the success? For one, he produced the album. Secondly, he plays drums on the entire album, but he also sang the...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#929 in the Series) is Donald Fagen, The Nightfly I never would’ve thought that my favorite Steely Dan album wouldn’t even be a Steely Dan album. But as strange as that may seem my favorite work by Mr. Donald Fagan is his first solo album called The Nighfly.  It can’t be considered a Steely Dan album because it does not include Fagen’s longtime band partner Walter Becker, but I’ve enjoyed this work more than any of the Dan projects so that’s really what I’m getting at. One of the complaints that I often hear about Steely Dan is that their albums are so perfectly recorded, so perfectly produced, that they actually become...

  Considering that we recently had  Coachella, record store day and Easter all occur, I thought I’d publish my review on The War on Drugs show from Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom from a couple weeks back.  After all, these things all relate to the show in the fact that The War on Drugs are one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen (Coachella), their new album (Record Store Day) supported by this tour is incredible and this is the most psychedelic yet “traditional” band (Easter Holiday) that you’ll probably hear in your lifetime. If you’ve never listened to The War on Drugs they are a band that I cannot recommend highly enough. For starters, they will restore your belief...

  Yes, you read that headline correctly. The full nearly four hour performance of the 1976 Thanksgiving night concert by The Band has made it’s way to the public. It includes, previously unreleased tunes by The Band such as “WS Wolcott Medicince Show,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Arcadian Driftwood,” “Rag Mama Rag,” and also “The Weight” which in the film was represented only by the live in studio version. No overdubs here either. Songs by some of the guest stars include “Hazel” by Bob Dylan, “Four Strong Winds” by Joni Mitchell and Neil Young and “Coyote” also by Joni. “Don’t Do It”, which opens the performance part of the movie is also shown in its rightful place as the...

Today’s Cool album of the Day (# 928 in the Series) is the self-titled debut from Lyle Lovett Lyle Lovett burst into national prominence with his Pontiac album in 1987. That was the release that gave us some of his best known tunes such as “If I Had a Boat” and “She’s No Lady.”  Some people never looked to see that he had another spectacular record the year prior. I’m referring to his debut, which was simply called Lyle Lovett. I’ve always been a fan of debut albums.  To me it seems that the one thing that many of them have it common is that they are rarely overproduced.  Why, because most of these new acts don’t have the budget...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#927 in the Series) is Dusty Springfield, Dusty in Memphis The stable of Blue-Eyed Soul fillies from across the pond has been Kentucky Derby quality over the last 10 years. Duffy, with her 2008 release Rockferry has more of a sensitive delivery than her more bombastic contemporaries that should serve her well with the AOR crowd as her career progresses. Joss Stone burst on to the scene in 2003 with The Soul Sessions, an unabashed tribute to the soul singers of the past sounding more like Carla Thomas or Aretha Franklin than a sixteen year old girl recording her eponymous album.  But even though her later releases seem to lack direction and continuity...

This summer, Steely Dan fans in North America will be able to buy a thrill. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen will set off on the 47-city Jamalot Ever After tour July 2 in Portland, Ore., and tour through September. The duo, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 on the strength of such hits as Reelin’ in the Years, Hey Nineteen and Deacon Blues, will be backed by an eight-piece band: drummer Keith Carlock, bassist Freddie Washington, keyboardist Jim Beard, guitarist Jon Herington, trumpeter/keyboardist Michael Leonhart, trombonist Jim Pugh, saxophonist Walt Weiskopf and baritone saxophonist Roger Rosenberg. Three backing vocalists — La Tanya Hall, Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery and Cindy Mizelle — also will be part of the ensemble. July 2 – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, Ore. 3 – Les Schwab Amphitheatre, Bend, Ore. 5-6...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#926 in The Series) is Brian Setzer, The Knife Feels Like Justice. Earlier we featured the forgotten Steve Winwood album. Now we feature a long forgotten, Brian Setzer album. This album just never got it’s due. It was NOT Stray Cats. And it’s not the Brian Setzer Orchestra. It was released between the two and has it’s own unique sound. I guess if I had to tell you what it sounds like I guess I would go with “Americana” or maybe somewher in the “Root’s” categories. Like we’ve discussed before, we hate to pigeon hole, but I’m trying to describe it to those that never heard it.  Which, unfortunately for Brian, was most of America....

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#925 in the Series) is Pixies, Doolittle. Pixies first came to most people’s attention via 1988’s superb “Surfer Rosa,” a raw blast of punky mayhem with a real sense of fun and pop at its core. Produced (or as he likes to say, recorded) by Steve Albini, it garnered the band a whole host of new fans and critical acclaim, setting the band up for greater heights in the process. The question was, could they keep the quality quota as high on the next one and deliver on the promise they’d shown? Easily! The following year’s “Doolittle” was overseen by Gil Norton, who gave their sound a more polished sheen but managed to...

    Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#924 in the Series) is The Allman Brothers Band, Idlewild South. Idlewild South was the second and last of the two  “true” Allman Brothers Band albums. They’ve had many, many great albums, but the first two are always considered the only “true” Allman Brothers, meaning, Duane and Gregg were both included. I’ve also read more than one review that has called this the best studio album that band ever produced.   As mentioned, this was the last full studio album that included the great Duane Allman. He would lose his life in a motorcycle accident while recording the follow up, Eat a Peach.  Of course it didn’t end there either. Original...