Record-Racks

Things are opening up in this week, but don’t expect that to continue. It’s still a slow time of year for music releases. However, a wide variety of releases genre-wise are featured this week.

SPOTLIGHT RELEASE

Various Artists: Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years Of Amnesty International (2-CD and 4-CD) (Amnesty International)
File Under: Covers

Dylan always had an influence on a plethora of musical genres. It’s what happens when you’re a fantastic songwriter. So it’s no wonder that there are a wide range of artists covering his material for this charity release. We’re talking up to 4 CDs worth of music. Raphael Saadiq gives a great little blues rendition of “Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat.” Ziggy Marley swings through with a nice acoustic interpretation of “Blowin In The Wind.” One of the more interesting covers is the Lenny Kravitz version of “Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35″ with nary a sign of his guitar. Instead a New Orleans style piano and horn section make for a raucous time. Even Glee’s Darren Criss alongside Chuck Criss and the Freelance Whales jumps into the spotlight. Don’t be turned off by the Glee representation; Darren Criss turns in a great and sublime performance.

Aside from being able to get it digitally or in a 4-CD package, Starbucks will be offering a trimmed-down 2-CD package. No exclusives will be featured on the Starbucks version. While I’m not sure what Starbucks’ price will be, the 4-CD is showing in ads and on Amazon for around $20.

Check out one minute samples over at Amnesty International’s page.

Mighty Sparrow: Sparrowmaina! Wit, Wisdom, & Soul From The King Of Calypso 1962-1974 (2-CD) (!K7/Strut)
File Under: Calypso

Harry Belafonte did his share of calypso records, but he had nothing on Mighty Sparrow who recorded hundreds of them. Twenty-nine tracks are collected here on two discs including a smattering of hits from the 1960s and 1970s. The sound quality is decent but not great, although that probably has more to do with sources than anything else. Still, it’s a great collection for those interested in exploring the genre as performed by one of its best. Relatively cheap, too, for $15. A friend of mine from New York just saw Mighty Sparrow perform recently. Even near 80, he said it was a very energized show.

Jazzanova: Upside Down (Sonar Kollektiv)
File Under: Remixes, Dance, Compilation

Jazzanova hasn’t done a lot of their own original material but have been heavily involved in the remixing game. As the press release states by the band members, “We want to honour other artists’ work remixing Jazzanova with this compilation.”

Smooth beats abound on several tracks including “Soldier Of House” by Lie featuring Theif, but so does a cool, jazzy touch on “I Can See” featuring Ben Westbeech and remixed by Ye:Solar.

Wiley: Evolve Or Be Extinct (Big Dada)
File Under: Hip Hop

Wiley’s album title is an homage to the way he views his career. He just released 100% Publishing late last summer and here we are with another full album. “This Is Just An Album” features a stop-and-go flow with some crazy sound effects. This one is for fans of British hip hop or if you want to get away for some of the garbage hip hop that abounds in America today.

Plug: Back On Time (Ninja Tune)
File Under: Hip Hop

A fast-paced digital affair boasting a previously missing (or out of the limelight) drum & bass. Plug still finds way to switch it up using a sitar on “A Quick Plug For A New Slot” over horror movie piano stabs. There are only 10 tracks, but many of them cross the 5+ minute mark.

ON TV THIS WEEK

Tony Bennett: Great Performances (PBS)
File Under: Standards

PBS’ Great Performances continues with an all-star cast of musicians pairing with Tony Bennett, who is now well into his 80s but still going strong. Focusing on the Duets II album that was released a couple of months ago, you can expect to see Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, and a man who would like to be Bennett’s musical heir, Michael Buble.

Tune in on Friday, January 27, for many, but with PBS, it’s always advisable to check your local listings.

Watch Tony Bennett: Duets II on PBS. See more from Great Performances.

Very little in the way of new releases this week. There is some free music to mention at the end of the post, though.

SPOTLIGHT RELEASE

Mickey Murray: People Are Together (Secret Stash)
File Under: Soul, Funk

Secret Stash is releasing their first foray into soul/funk genre (at least if you exclude their Mad Dog’s Hustle soundtrack). Murray followed a similar path as James Brown. Both have Augusta, Georgia, roots and both recorded for King Records. Murray was joining the label just as Brown was leaving. It’s easy to hear how the label heads figured that Murray would continue the Brown sound. Vocally, Murray’s style is quite comparable by seamlessly going from an easy sound to a rough, gutbucket funk.

As Brown would go on to become The Godfather Of Soul, Murray would get trapped in the quicksands of time. While Brown had earned the respectability of America to release socially-conscious tracks such as “Say It Loud (I’m Black, I’m Proud),” Murray tried to turn the same trick in 1970 by recording the title track and choosing it as the lead single. Backlash erupted from DJs essentially killed the album. Listening to it now, however, it doesn’t seem nearly as controversial. How the times change.

By ordering directly through Secret Stash, you can get a bonus 45 featuring two non-album tracks that were recorded during the same sessions. One of them, “I Can’t Tell You,” is featured in this video.

Various Artists: Music From And Inspired By Pan Am (Verve)
File Under: Soundtrack, Jazz, Pop

It has to be a good sign for a new show that a soundtrack is being issued. It helps that the show is set during the period of arguably America’s greatest music featuring the likes of Bobby Darin, Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto, and Shirley Horn alongside newcomers doing their version of the oldies including Nikki Jean performing The Beatles’ “Do You Want To Know A Secret” and Grace Potter singing “Fly Me To The Moon.”

Do You Want To Know A Secret (Pan Am Soundtrack)
Nikki Jean: Do You Want To Know A Secret

Liftoff: Sunday Morning Airplay (Fort Knox Recordings)
File Under: Psychedelic, Chill

Pretty heavy stuff from various members of the Fort Knox Five, Thunderball, and Thievery Corporation. According to the press release, the album nearly didn’t come to fruition due to lost hard drives making it akin to the previously “lost” SMiLE album by The Beach Boys (easy there, PR folks). While I wouldn’t go so far as to make that comparison, there is much to like here including the dreamy “Off Yer Feet” and the trippy “The Morning.”

Listen below for a stream of the full album via Bandcamp.

Gabriel Teodros: Colored People’s Time Machine (Fresh Chopped Beats/MADK)
File Under: Hip Hop

Based out of Seattle, Gabriel Teodros releases his sophomore album that follows Lovework from 2007. Colored People’s Time Machine took over two years to make to accommodate all the personnel on the album including Khingz, Rogue Pinay, Sonny Singh, Amos Miller, and SKIM. The lead single, “Blossoms Of Fire” (also the album opener),” features a great summer groover mixing live and sampled vocals.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (AND I DID, TOO)

Jonti: Sine And Moon (Stones Throw)
File Under: Electronic

Sine And Moon wasn’t originally conceived as an album. Instead it’s a collection of tracks that Jonti put together on a 4-track prior to the release of his debut album, Twirligig. Jonti had put together a mix of these tunes prior to the release of Twirligig, and here they are presented in the full form. Best of all, it’s FREE!

Jonti – Lost Machines by Stones Throw Records

It’s been a few weeks since we last did a Release Tuesday post, but a few releases are starting to trickle out.

SPOTLIGHT RELEASE

Various Artists: The Best Of Disco Demands: A Special Collection Of Rare 1970s Dance Music (5-CD) (BBE)
File Under: Disco

The cover alone is enough to get your attention, and one that only European labels can get away with (or have the balls to do so). (Notably, Amazon has chosen to use a cropped version.) Enough about the cover because there is some great music on this comp. Scanning the names, none of them are immediately recognizable as anything you’d find on any popular disco compilations at your local retailer. Come on, tell me you’ve heard of Universal Robot Band. Crosstown Traffic (the group, not the Jimi Hendrix tune)? Al Tanner? Didn’t think so. However, Al Kent has compiled a doozy with that bass-pumpin, dancefloor thumpin’ sound.

Who said disco was dead? Listen to this comp and tell me your ass doesn’t move. At $25 for a 5-CD set… please. Immediate sale.

The Little Willies: For The Good Times (Milking Bull/EMI)
File Under: Country, Americana

Obviously, the biggest name in the group is Norah Jones, but this quintet of musicians doesn’t put one member in front of another. They share lead vocal duties and the energy is amazing. This isn’t your modern day pop country. Instead, they cover classics from Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and more. Member Jim Campilongo also wrote an original instrumental piece for them (“Tommy Rockwood”).

This nice little EPK gives you an insight to the sounds on the album as well as the thought process of the band. Exactly what an EPK should do.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (AND I DID, TOO)

Elvis Presley: Elvis Country (Legacy Edition) (Sony)
File Under: Oldies, Country

The Legacy Edition of Elvis Country, released on January 3, collects two albums (Elvis Country and Love Letters) and a handful of singles from the period. These albums, released originally in the early 1970s, were a part of Elvis’ dramatic comeback to the spotlight. Ironically, given that Jerry Lee Lewis considered Presley to be a major rival, Elvis even performs The Killer’s “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” pretty convincingly, although it’s hard to outdo Jerry Lee’s energy.

Once again, given the limited titles coming out this week, I’m not going to choose a Spotlight Release. Pretty slim pickings this week, although that’s not to say what is listed here isn’t quality stuff.

Common: The Dreamer, The Believer (Warner/Think Common)
File Under: Hip-Hop

Common returns to the music scene for the first time since 2008′s Universal Mind Control, which wasn’t a huge success critically. The first single, “Sweet,” certainly sounds like he has his swagger back. Given that it’s produced by No I.D., a years-long collaborator with the MC, it’s no wonder that there’s a little magic to it.

The Echocentrics: Echoland EP (A Tribute To Timbaland) (Ubiquity)
File Under: Rock

Adrian Quesada – if you have followed the site, you’ve seen his name here before tied to projects from the likes of Brownout and Ocote Soul Sounds. On the EP, two Jay-Z tracks have been covered (“Hola Hovito” and “It’s Hot”), one Petey Pablo track (“Raise Up”), a Timbaland & Magoo cut with Jay-Z and Twista (“Party People”), and a vocal and instrumental version of an Aaliyah tune. Ubiquity has been kind to offer a free track of that tune, “We Need A Resolution.”

The Echocentrics: We Need A Resolution

As interesting as this cover is (and that’s not a slam… I do like it), with its vocals performed by Tita Lima, there are a couple of others I like even better:

1. “It’s Hot” was from 1999′s Vol. 3: The Life And Times Of Shawn Carter following Jigga’s MASSIVE crossover success of Vol. 2 Hard Knock Life. It may not be the popular opinion of most, but I’d rather listen to Vol. 3 front to back than Vol. 2. “It’s Hot” in particular contains one of the most concise diss lines ever delivered: “Go aginst Jigga yo’ ass is dense/I’m about a dolla/what the fuck is 50 Cent?” Granted, lyrics aren’t a part of the Echocentrics version given that it’s instrumental, but it took me down memory lane. Quesada decides to leave the handclaps as part of the percussive backdrop, a wise move as I loved them in the original. Todd Simon drops by for some horn action, which was a string arrangement if my memory serves me correctly on the original track.

2. “Raise Up” wasn’t Petey Pablo’s biggest hit (“Freek-A-Leek” was), although it was the one that got him attention on the video circuit. LOVE what Quesada did on this one. Gives it an epic feel. Those sundrenched guitar licks opening the track give it a soundtrack feel. Such a massive feel to this one.

Most of the EP is being streamed over on Ubiquity’s Soundcloud page, with the Aaliyah instrumental and “Hola Hovito” being the songs left off.

Of note, there is only a digital release of this EP. No physical version is being planned at this time. The release itself almost is accidental in that it was a way to get some “creative juices flowing” as the press release states while he was working on the follow-up to The Echocentrics first album.