Hi, I recently heard that JOHN MELLENCAMP has released a new album: DESCENDING ORPHEUS, which has received very good reviews.
He had previously released Strictly a One-Eyed Jack; another album is Betty Lavette's (Lavette!) featuring Steve Winwood on keyboards with songs by Randal Bramblett and Natalie Merchant's latest album (Keep Your Corage, simply fantastic), released by Nonesuch Records.
Now I'm diving into JONI MITCHELL's discography...
Came across "Flowers Burn to Gold" from Tori Amos' latest release. Not very "new" but it's my heavy rotation playlist at the moment - fantastic tune.
Hi, I recently heard that JOHN MELLENCAMP has released a new album: DESCENDING ORPHEUS, which has received very good reviews.
He had previously released Strictly a One-Eyed Jack; another album is Betty Lavette's (Lavette!) featuring Steve Winwood on keyboards with songs by Randal Bramblett and Natalie Merchant's latest album (Keep Your Corage, simply fantastic), released by Nonesuch Records.
Now I'm diving into JONI MITCHELL's discography...
With Joni, start with Ladies Of The Canyon, then Blue, Court & Spark & Hejira, which I think is her masterpiece, although Blue seems to be the critcs' favourite.
Thank you for the information on JONI MITCHELL.
I think he has an album coming out soon called AT NEWPORT (which must be a festival).
I have on vinyl LP: CHALK MARK IN A RAIN STORM, featuring Peter Gabriel and Manu Katché (In My Secret Place).
I'd like to hear more of Joni Mitchell, and she has two compilations: HITS/MISES...Is it a good option?
She has a very wide and varied discography.
I remembered that HERBIE HANCOCK has an album based on her songs: HERBIE HANCOCK...THE JONI LETTERS (which looks very good).
Display MoreThank you for the information on JONI MITCHELL.
I think he has an album coming out soon called AT NEWPORT (which must be a festival).
I have on vinyl LP: CHALK MARK IN A RAIN STORM, featuring Peter Gabriel and Manu Katché (In My Secret Place).
I'd like to hear more of Joni Mitchell, and she has two compilations: HITS/MISES...Is it a good option?
She has a very wide and varied discography.
I remembered that HERBIE HANCOCK has an album based on her songs: HERBIE HANCOCK...THE JONI LETTERS (which looks very good).
I don't have the compilations but they look pretty good.
Hello forum friends
These days I have listened songs from the new album by LUCINDA WILLIAMS: where bruce springsteen & patti scialfa; jesse malin; margo price, etc, collaborate,
Almost at the same time her book of memoirs has been published (in Spanish): Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You : The biography is very well written.
Apart from the purely family aspects is focused on his early albums. He tells us about the ups and downs he had to go through to get into rock music. “Too much rock to be country and too much country to be rock”. It had its climax in the album CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD (1998). Other interesting albums in his discography are the early LUCINDA WILLIAMS (1979), HAPPY WOMAN BLUES (1980), ESSENCE (20001) and WORLD WITHOUT TEARS (2003). One of the best things about the book is that Lucinda tells us where her songs come from...
I have taken the opportunity to listen again to CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD, a good solo album.
LUCINDA has recently had health problems from which she is recovering and she is performing in Spain...
https://www.mondosonoro.com/cr…s-from-a-rock-roll-heart/
Sergio Ariza — 11-07-2023
Empresa — Highway 20 records
Género — Alt-Country / Americana
Lucinda Williams has nothing left to prove, at seventy years old she is one of the most important names in what became known as Americana, although she is clear that her heart belongs to rock & roll. Her sixteenth album, "Stories From A Rock & Roll Heart", is an ode to the genre that made her pick up an electric guitar for the first time. A rock & roll record about the rock & roll life, with its highs and lows, its revelations and its silliness, a record about a genre that used to save lives and that, thanks to work like this, refuses to be seen simply as a relic of the past.
Lucinda's voice sounds worn and weathered, the after-effects of the stroke not quite gone, but she sounds passionate and perfect in her imperfection, the album begins with a declaration of intent, Lucinda wants to get the band back together and go on tour, musically it goes back to the main root: the "Chuck Berry Fields Forever" from which whole genres have sprung, the guitarists play the Stones, the organist gets his instrument to smoke and Lucinda plays Dylan and Springsteen at full volume. And as if by magic, the "Boss" makes his presence felt in the second song, another great track in which the author of "Born To Run" provides some heartfelt backing vocals for Lucinda as she dreams of her great return to New York, in another great song that rounds off one of the most rocking beginnings of Williams' career.
But this wouldn't be a Lucinda Williams album if she didn't break our hearts sometime, which she does with "Last Call For The Truth". Give me one more song to sing out loud, give me a little glimpse of my lost youth and I hope you stay forever young. "Jukebox" is the first acoustic track on the album, another lovely track in which Lucinda goes off to cure her loneliness at her favourite bar while Patsy Cline and Muddy Waters play on the jukebox.
But the volume is turned up again with "Stolen Moments", a track that sounds like Springsteen at his most epic, especially on a sing-along chorus, again with some great work from a superb band, with some great slide guitar work. "Rock & Roll Heart" is, as obvious as it sounds, the heart of the album, this is the song about the call of rock & roll, that moment when you heard something that changed your life and decided there was nothing else you wanted to do. You don't have to be very clever, but if the music resonates with you, it's a call you can't refuse. Despite being sung by two stars like Lucinda Williams and Bruce Springsteen, it seems dedicated to all those who got the call but didn't make it.
"This Is Not Very Town" is a sharp sample of rockabilly and blues rock, with a liberating chorus. Then "Hum's Liquor" is a look at the B-side of the rock & roll life, those who end up destroyed by it, like Bob Stinson of the Replacements, going to the liquor store every morning to keep drinking away all their demons.
In "Where The Song Will Find Me" Lucinda talks about the moments when inspiration and songs come to her. As she herself says, not to worry too much, the songs will always find her in the end. And the album reaches its conclusion with her thesis, "Never Gonna Fade Away", Lucinda is old and tired but she has no intention of fading away, when you have received the call it is until the end, you don't have to die young and leave a beautiful corpse, you can keep an indomitable spirit until the end, and that is something that Lucinda Williams has, with seventy years and many wounds in her body and heart, she is clear about one thing: "hey, hey, rock & roll can't die". Not as long as there are people willing to follow the call with their boots on until the end.
Thanks for the detailed posts. I love Car Wheels, but its the only album I've explored. Which album would you recommend I explore next?
With Lucinda Williams I remember buying her album Cars and wheels...many years ago. A few days ago I found her memoirs in a bookshop and I bought the book. Once I read her autobiography I listened to Car and wheels again and I like it.
Now I would like to listen to ESSENCE and SWEET OLD WORLD (1992)/ WORLD WITHOUT TEARS (2003).
His later albums are barely mentioned in his memoir, which is curious. It seems to me that Car and Wheels is his creative peak...
Another American author/songwriter/songwriter is JOHN MELLENCAMP, of whom I bought a compilation years ago.
I quite liked Strictly A One-Eyed Jack (CD) and have been travelling back in time from its origins to Strictly whose cover has a pirate's face on it.
He has just released Orpheus Descending which follows the line of the last album.
From Lucinda Williams I've been listening to her latest album that just came out and I like it a lot...¡¡Stories From a Rock 'n' Roll Heart...!!!
We're drifting away from the thread's theme of New To Me when we start talking about artists we've been listening to for years. Back on topic, here's an ambient piece I heard on Iggy Pop's 6Music show, by John Luther Adams, called Catabatic Wind. It's from his album Houses Of The Wind. Really nice late night/small hours listening. I've been enjoying this on the headphones, past midnight with all the lights off.
I'm interested in ambient and drone, and hadn't heard of this artist.
I really enjoyed the layers of overtones that create a lot of tension.
It's quite interesting how he works with bass tones as well. Great piece. It reminded me of some spectral music - some of Grisey compositions would be worth checking out and definitely Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco by Jonathan Harvey.
I've recently been listening to Rhiannon Giddens. She is a great vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, who is mainly known for her traditional and roots music but has branched stylistically in all kinds of directions.
From Lucinda Williams I've been listening to her latest album that just came out and I like it a lot...¡¡Stories From a Rock 'n' Roll Heart...!!!
I'll have to check out her new album.
I really enjoyed the layers of overtones that create a lot of tension.
It's quite interesting how he works with bass tones as well. Great piece. It reminded me of some spectral music - some of Grisey compositions would be worth checking out and definitely Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco by Jonathan Harvey.
Agreed, in ambient drone it's rarer to hear bass used much and it's definitely used interestingly in this one.
Thanks for those recommendations, I'll look into those 👍
I've recently been listening to Rhiannon Giddens. She is a great vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, who is mainly known for her traditional and roots music but has branched stylistically in all kinds of directions.
I know I've heard the name. I shall investigate.
