Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#835 in the Series) is The Black Keys, Rubber Factory The Black Keys have enjoyed quite a bit of success as of late. They received five nominations for the 55th Grammy Awards, tour relentlessly, and just about everybody has heard of them. This wasn’t always the case. Their first three albums began somewhat under the radar. Rubber Factory is their third album and what some people still claim is the best release they’ve had so far. If someone ever asks me what The Black Keys sound like, I always point them to this album. In a nutshell it is blues rock with an unrelenting drive and passion. When I was growing up I...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#834 in the Series) is Roger Knox, Stranger In My Land (Bloodshot Records) Part travelogue, part National Geographic special, and part crash sociology course, Stranger in My Land, the new album by Roger Knox is surely to be the most important album you will listen to all year, and might just be the most important album of the decade.  The overall arch of this record, the unfair treatment of Australian Aborigines, is a subject matter that until now has not necessarily reached mainstream hearts and ears, and with Bloodshot Records along with Jon Langford  (Waco Brothers, Pine Valley Cosmonauts) acting as curators, and Roger Knox, The Koori King of Country, leading the...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#833 in the Series) is Richard Thompson, Electric If you are a fan of Richard Thompson, just hearing the title of his new album Electric should make you smile. If somehow you don’t know his music just listening to the first track “Stony Ground” will do the same thing. The song starts out with some clapping and percussion and then Richard Thompson and his Trio kick in to a song about “Old Man Morris” who’s fallen for the widow across the street ~ and can’t keep his mind off her “Honey pot.” Shakespeare? No. Tremendous fun? Yes. I hope that I can explain this, but the real treat of Electric is the...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#832 in the Series) is Michael Johnson, Moonlit  Déja Vu (Red House Records) Moonlit  Déja Vu is Michael  Johnson’s first studio album in 15 years. The album proves that as a producer, songwriter and performer, Michael Johnson is at the top of his game. He is best known for his hit song “Bluer Than Blue” and for several number one Billboard-charting country songs, including “This Night Won’t Last Forever” and “Almost like Being in Love.”  Along with being a great songwriter himself, Michael Johnson has always had the ability to choose great songs written by others.  The minimal instrumentation and great song choices on the new album are reminiscent  of his early albums...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#829 in the Series) is Whiskeytown, Strangers Almanac There are very few albums that I can look back on and say that it shaped what I listened to for the rest of my life.  Strangers Almanac is one of those albums.  I had a roommate that kept telling me that I needed to listen to this artist named Ryan Adams.  I kind of had a rule at the time that if the album came out in the 80’s or later I wasn’t that interested.  I finally gave it a chance and it redefined my taste in music.  Whiskeytown has had three alternative country album releases with various personnel.  The only members on...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#828 in the Series) is Three Dog Night, Naturally Three Dog Night was a band that essentially consisted of three vocalists, Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells, and four musicians, Michael Alsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, Joe Schermie on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards, seven separate fools as we would later discover.  Performing for the most part other peoples songs, the band, named after the number of wild dogs it took to keep yourself warm if you happened to find yourself stuck overnight in the Australian Outback on a cold winters evening, and who hasn’t, was the quintessential Classic Rock cover band before the term “Classic Rock” even...

    Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#827 in the Series) is The Mumlers, Don’t Throw Me Away Don’t Throw Me Away is release number two from The Mumlers.  What impresses me about this album is its uncanny ability to feel old and fresh often at the same time.  It is difficult to label their style as there are elements of jazz, folk, and psychedelia all mixed together.  If I had to pick something I would say folk with some creole jazz backing.  A lot of the vocals have a lo-fi sound which fits perfectly into their retro sound.  Their style isn’t to force the music onto people or to catch you with one or two catchy guitar...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#825 in the Series) is Chris Isaak, Speak of the Devil This is the 9th record of the California rocker and for me stands out as one of his best.  His voice is an instrument in an obvious Roy Orbison tribute kind of way. His songwriting and guitar playing make these 14 songs fun to listen to in a way that makes me think, did Elvis Presley ever comes this close to being great. I know I may offend some with that thought, but put this on the old phonograph and from the first track, “Please” compare it to anything the King did and you will hear where I am coming from....

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#824 in the Series) is Billy Prine, Billy Prine “You can’t make a living on a song and a prayer. The men in those taverns are too drunk to care.” from “Goodbye Virginia” by Robbie Fulks It was 1987 or maybe early 1988 the first time I saw it happened at Earl Pionke’s Pub on Chicago’s Lincoln Avenue. It was once the majestic (according to some reports) Somebody Else’s Trouble’s, the now named Earl’s Pub was more tattered and worn through like an old shirt.  Earl’s more famous club on Wells at North, THE Earl of Old Town, had recently closed for good. Holstein’s, a club a door or two north of...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#823 in the Series) is Shelby Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne Shelby Lynne had been a recording artist for quite a while by the time this album came out but I think it’s fair to say that things hadn’t been going quite the way she would have liked up until that point. It seemed the time was right for her to take control, make a stand, and get things back on track. Hence the title of this, quite wonderful, album: I Am Shelby Lynne, a definitive statement if ever there was one. It was actually her sixth album, although the first in almost five years, and not so much a comeback as...