Today’s Cool Album Of the Day (#1016 in the Series) is Ivan Neville, If My Ancestors Could See Me Now. If My Ancestors Could See Me Now is a fantastic album by a fantastic musician, Ivan Neville. Ivan is a multi-instrumentalist and the son of the great singer, Aaron Neville.  It was released in 1988. I guess you could describe it as two parts funk, one part new wave and one part rock and roll. Toss in a little blues as well. It did well but nothing special, sales wise. It did much better with the critics. Unfortunately something went bad shortly thereafter.  There was a fall out between Ivan and his then label Polydor.  Due to that...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#1001 in the Series) is Willis Alan Ramsey, Willis Alan Ramsey Willis Alan Ramsey is the Harper Lee of the Americana, Alternative Country scene of the 1970’s and his eponymous album is his To Kill a Mockingbird. Released on New Year’s Day 1972 Willis Alan Ramsey was the first, last, and only album to be released by an artist that many consider to be one of the forefathers of the Outlaw sound who heavily influenced such Cosmic Cowboys as Townes Van Zandt, Lyle Lovett, Jerry Jeff Walker and Ray Wylie Hubbard. With a Texas Troubadour sound that is more Steve Earle, Guy Clark, and Joe Ely than Willie Nelson, Willis Alan quickly...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#975 in the Series) is Warren Zevon, The Wind In the final episode of season 2 of the hit Showtime series Californication, down on his self-inflicted luck, writer Hank Moody has just finished a book project and is ready to begin his post-project ritual. “Every time I finish a book, It’s Whiskey, Weed and Warren Zevon, It’s the little things” he says, while ”Keep Me in your Heart” plays delicately in the background. “Keep Me In Your Heart” is the emotional core of The Wind, the last album that Warren Zevon made prior to his death of lung cancer in September of 2003. The album was already in the works in late August...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#787 in the Series) is Alexi Murdoch, Time Without Consequence. Alexi Murdoch is a perfect example of the new paradigm music industry success story. He released a self produced EP Four Songs in 2002 on CDbaby.com, sold over 50,000 via download (CDbaby’s all time best seller) and started his own record label, Zero Summer. Time Without Consequence, released in 2006, is his first full album and includes three of the Four Songs from his start up EP. He’s been able to achieve international acclaim while turning down numerous offers from major record labels. Alexi’s voice is reminiscent of Nick Drake. He has the kind of control of his acoustic guitar that reminds me...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#661 in the Series) is the only album from Little Village. One album, One tour from a “Cool Musicians Super Group.” Who was Little Village? I think many in this group know, but I’ll fill in the names. This 1992 group included Nick Lowe, Jim Keltner, John Hiatt and Ry Cooder.  How’s that for fire power! They only lasted one album and one tour.  They played the Arie Crown Theater here in Chicago.  If  you look around the internet you can find an audio of the show.  It was a hell of a show since they played almost the full album and each member did a tune or two from their solo...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#505 in the Series) is Bill Withers, Just As I Am By all rights the Bill Withers album Just As I Am should never have been made. It’s not that the talent was not here, it certainly was, it’s just that it is not often that when a record company needs to take promotional pictures for an album that they have to work around the artist’s break times during his 8-5 job at a Boeing plant making airplane toilets. In 1967 Bill Withers, fresh from a discharge from the Navy and bolstered by his fellow sailor’s encouragement and recognition of his talent, moved to the west coast to make some demo records...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#477 in the Series) is the first Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band. I’ve always been a huge fan of these Ringo Starr All-Starr tours. I think they are just a fantastic idea. Besides being a fantastic drummer, Ringo’s a smart man. He knows he doesn’t have the body of work, vocally, to front a tour that will allow him access to large venues.  So he fills out his band with well-known musicians and they take the lead also during the show. Great idea, but what makes it even better is the musicians that Mr. Starkey takes on the road with hi. He always picks some really interesting people.  I don’t think...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#453 in the Series) is Carly Simon, No Secrets A “Whale?” You’re actually putting this album in the “Whale Wednesday” category? If you’re questioning that, then you weren’t around in the late 1972 or early ’73.  If you were, you’d have remembered how big this album was. Singer-songwriters were all the rage at this time. A year and a half earlier, Carole King was top of the charts forever it seemed with her masterpiece “Tapestry.” That album was released in March on ’71 and she actually released another album, Music before ’71 was out. Carly’s No Secrets was not another Tapestry, but it may just have had a bigger hit than anything of...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#446 in the Series, #22 in the Whale Wednesday Series) is Steely Dan, Aja 1977, that’s when Steely Dan, Aja was released. Yes, in 1977.  Does it really seem like 34 years ago? Well heck no, not only does it not seem like 34 years ago, but give this a listen again. It also seems hardly true from a musical and recording standpoint.  Aja was recorded in 1977. It just seems hard to believe. This is jazz-rock at its finest.  These are the finest written songs, with the finest musicians giving life to those songs. Some people like their music straight forward in three minute pop tunes, so do I. Some people like...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#434in the Series) is Carlene Carter, I Fell in Love Youngsters from musical families have a huge advantage over the majority of society.  Not only is music given to them via their genes, but having it in their ears from before birth is just a wonderful way to grow up. A dear friend of mine was from a musical family.  He’s a guitar player/singer/songwriter etc. etc. He married a singer/dancer and yes, their two children have grown up to be extremely musical in their own write.  In fact the daughter has been headlining places like the Rainbow Room and Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles all this summer. But what else makes...