Music Releases 08-30-24
Alicia Keys / Bean,Shoshana / Moon,Maleah Joi
Hell's Kitchen - Original Broadway Cast Recording [2LP Transparent Blue]
Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden [Limited Edition Water Colour Vinyl]
Luke Combs - Fathers & Sons - Vinyl
A collection of 12 poignant tracks, Fathers & Sons was recorded entirely live and features Combs most personal songwriting to date, as he reflects on his own experiences being a dad to his two sons and the unique bond between parents and their children.
Reflecting on "The Man He Sees In Me," Combs shares a message he wrote to his young sons, "To my boys, first and foremost, I will always love you, no matter what. With this song I want you to know that even though I'm not perfect, I try my hardest every day to be the best version of myself for you both. I'll make mistakes along the way and some days you'll be sick of your old man, I'm sure, but, dang, we'll have some fun too. I can't wait to see what you both turn out to be like and I hope someday down the road, I get to watch you and your kids do the same. Love, Dad."
In addition to Combs, Fathers & Sons also features acclaimed musicians Jim "Moose" Brown (keys), Sam Bush (mandolin), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Mark Hill (bass), Josh Hunt (drums), Joey Landreth (electric guitar), Steve Mackey (bass), Josh Matheny (dobro), Jerry Roe (drums), Jonathan Singleton (acoustic guitar), Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar) and Charlie Worsham (acoustic guitar).
When the Amsterdam singer-songwriter Jana Mila (pronounced Yah-nuh MEE- lah) began writing a song called “Chameleon,” she thought she was writing about someone else—a friend who seemed to be changing her colors to please other people. “But the more I lived with the song, the more I felt like I was writing about myself,” she admits. “Doesn’t everybody try to reflect other people? Don’t I change my own colors in order to be accepted? Especially when you’re young, you can lose yourself in other people if you don’t know who you are.” That is the central idea behind her debut album, also titled Chameleon, which introduces Mila as an artist deeply committed to self-reckoning and self-possession. Our innate desire to belong and to be loved can lead to a kind of self-annihilation, making us strangers to ourselves. Writing songs is her means of finding and sustaining her identity.“The album is a conversation with myself, a way of getting to know myself better. There are little fears woven into every lyric, but there’s also advice to myself. I’m writing to find a part of myself that has some wisdom.” Musically, Mila is the best kind of chameleon. The album draws from a wild array of sources, entertaining new ideas on every song: dusty Laurel Canyon folk on “It’s True,” catchy Nashville country on “Let Me In,” driving ‘70s rock on “I Wasn’t Gonna.” She puts her stamp on every note, turning those fears into an album of remarkable confidence, eloquence, and power. Chameleon is a self-portrait rendered in vibrant detail.
Paul Robeson - Voice of Freedom: His Complete Columbia, RCA, HMV and Victor Recordings
CD: $125.98 Buy
Clark Terry Quartet & Thelonious Monk
In Orbit [Remastered 2024] (Original Jazz Classics Series) [LP]
Vinyl: $38.98 Buy
Amelia is Laurie Anderson’s subjective narrative piece about the renowned female aviator Amelia Earhart's tragic last flight. Anderson wrote the songs and lyrics, which she performs with her ensemble and the Czech orchestra Filharmonie Brno, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies. “The words used in Amelia are taken from her pilot diaries, the telegrams she wrote to her husband, and my idea of what a woman flying around the world can think of,” Anderson says.
Amelia was originally commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra in 2000 and was performed in various versions. Some of the text was adapted from Amelia Earhart’s pilot’s log. The album also features vocals by Anohni and Marc Ribot on guitar.
At its best, harmony duo singing can transform simple math into a magic trick. One plus one, instead of equaling two, suddenly yields an unexpected third thing. An upper-case ONE. A universal hum. A deep vibration that encompasses two different points of view. On their latest release, Every Time I Think About You, brothers Page Burkum and Jack Torrey, aka The Cactus Blossoms, once again prove themselves to be among the most adept - and instinctive – modern practitioners of the classic tradition.
All sorts of emotional colors shine through on their new album. “Something's Got A Hold On Me” is pure Saturday night two-steppin' joy, “Keep Walkin'” has a Stones-y swagger and “There She Goes” casts its romantic regret against a danceable bop beat. “Statues” is a gorgeous meditation on the weight of permanent honor, “Is It Any Wonder” weaves its pledge of enduring love through nature images, and the title track is a heart-wrencher about loss and letting go. In all, the ten beautifully open-ended songs here invite listeners in to find their own stories as they revel in the old-school melodies and harmonies.