MOSE ALLISON

Like a lot of people who grew up in the 1960's listening to rock and roll, I didn't know a thing about jazz. In fact, you could have put what I knew about jazz at that time in a thimble. Besides the rock and roll that was on the radio, I knew a little about the blues (and a few other things) thanks to my tutoring by Johnny "Guitar" Nicholas, but not much about any kind of jazz music.

By 1970, I did own the ultimate prep school jazz album, Swiss Movement by Les McCann and Eddie Harris, which wasn't a bad place to start. I have it on my iPod today and it still sounds great. As a starter jazz album, it was definitely a little easier to get into than Miles Davis or Coltrane. 

When I got to Tufts and Floyd's Hotel was up and running, there was one exception to the usual suspects on our turntable. It was The Best of Mose Allison. I'm not sure how we originally got on to this album. It probably came from the influence of frequent hotel guest, Mike Martenek, aka, The Maniac.

Floyd and I knew a funny little guy named Spike McFee who worked somewhere he could pick up albums with an employee discount. He was always willing to trade albums with the hotel staff. I can remember getting The Best of Mose Allison from him.

Mose Allison was born in Tippo, Mississippi in 1927. He played piano and trumpet as a child. After going to college at The University of Mississippi and Louisiana State and a stint in the U.S. Army, he began playing in New York City in 1956. His songs are known for their literary lyrics. He has influenced many other musicians including John Mayall, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and The Who, who recorded his song Young Man Blues. His songs have also been recorded by Bonnie Raitt and Leon Russell among others.

 Mose combines fine piano playing with the witty lyrics of his original compositions. His best songs like Your Mind is On Vacation (But Your Mouth Is Working Overtime), I Love the Life I Live, Your Molecular Structure have a hipster's sensibility and outlook on the world. His piano and the backing of his trio is tasteful and the songs are witty and hip. Check out these lyrics from Your Mind Is On Vacation:

You're quoting figures, you're dropping names

You're telling stories, you're playing games

You laugh when things ain't funny

You try to sound like you don't need money

If talk was criminal, you'd lead a life of crime

Cause you're mind is on vacation and your mouth is working overtime

I was lucky to see Mose in Austin at the Continental Club in October of 1999. It was a great show. When I tried to chat Mose up at the bar afterwards, he was quite uninterested in this author and humble fan. Maybe it was my aftershave?

If you are not familiar with his work, be sure to pick up this CD for your playlist. It is available on iTunes and from Amazon.

BOOKER T. & The M.G.'s

Anyone who has been reading this blog can tell that the focus of my interest in a song is usually the lyrics. Often, the words are my way into a song more the the music. Notice the subjects of these posts: Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Warren Zevon, and Robert Earl Keen. All are songwriters who write songs with great words. Trust me, it is not the melody of Poncho and Lefty that brings the tears to my eyes.

That said, here's a departure for me: Green Onions by Booker T. & The M.G.'s. I can remember hearing this song on the radio when it was released in 1962. A lady who worked for my family in those days was really into soul music. She turned me on to some great music including this song and Hit The Road Jack by Ray Charles.

For anyone who has been living under a musical rock for the last 40 years, Booker T. & The M.G.'s was the house band at Stax Records in Memphis during the 60's. The band consisted of Booker T. Jones on keyboards, Steve Cropper on guitar, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, and Steve Potts on drums. Isaac Hayes was on keyboards at times. They played on all of the best records by Stax artists like Otis Redding, Albert King, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, and Eddie Floyd. Some of the hits included Try a Little Tenderness, I've Been Loving You Too Long, Walking the Dog, Hold On (I'm Coming), Soul Man and many more.

 In 1962, Booker T., Cropper, bass player Lewie Steinberg, and drummer Al Jackson Jr were in the studio backing a Stax artist. In an free moment, they began fooling around with an organ filled blues riff. When Stax president, Jim Stewart, heard what they were playing, he hit the record button. The rest is history. The song called Green Onions was released in October of 1962 and was an immediate hit. It went to number 1 on the R&B charts and number 3 on the Pop charts. It is one of the most recognizable instrumentals of all time.

After the success of the single, the band recorded this album which was released in October of 1962. It went to 33 on the Pop charts. The album is filled with the band's soulful take on some great songs.

Booker T. & The M.G.'s has had a long and successful career. Green Onions sounds as good today as it did in 1962. If you don't own it already, add it to your playlist. Available on iTunes and from Amazon.

ALBERT KING

I have just come back from a wonderful week in the English countryside. When not listening to 60's compilation CDs and playing "name that tune" with my good wife and a charming Englishman named Ned, I was working through some forgotten corners of my iPod. While doing this, I reconnected with a great blues album by Albert King.

Albert King was born in Indianola, Mississippi on April 24, 1923. He sang in a gospel choir as a child and taught himself to play a homemade guitar. He played drums behind Jimmy Reed before been signed to Bobbin Records by Little Milton. His first hit was Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong, which got to number 14 on the R&B chart in 1961. After that he signed with Stax Records.

Born Under a Bad Sign was recorded in 1966 and 1967 and was released on Stax Records in 1967. Backed by the Stax house band that included Steve Cropper on guitar, Booker T. Jones on piano, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Al Jackson Jr on drums, Isaac Hayes on piano, and the Memphis Horns, Albert made one of the classic straight ahead blues albums of all time. Each song is a concise expression of the blues that showcases King's music and guitar technique. There is no filler or fluff on this disk.

Although B.B. King is probably the best known of the Three Kings (B.B., Albert and Freddy), Albert's guitar influenced many important players including Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, Jimi Hendrix and later Stevie Ray Vaughan. His technique was unusual because he was left-handed but played a right-handed guitar upside down.

The album kicks off with the blues classic and King signature tune, Born Under a Bad Sign. Listen to King's guitar and you can immediately hear his influence on Eric Clapton's playing from that period. In fact, Clapton has mentioned King as a major influence on his work with Cream. They covered the song along with many others including Paul Butterfield Band, Jack Bruce, Booker T. & the M.G.'s among others.

The next song up is Crosscut Saw, which has always been one of my favorite blues tunes. It is what what the blues is all about. Listen to King growl :

I'm a crosscut saw

Baby, drag me across your log

I'm a crosscut saw

I cut your wood so easy for you

You can't help but say Hot Dog

King gives a nice reading to the Leiber and Stoller classic Kansas City with help from the Memphis Horns. He also excels on the clever Personal Manager. In fact, there is not a bad cut on the album.

I was lucky to see Albert play in Boston in the late '80's. I was visiting Bob Cat Numero Uno who was living there at the time. We went to the show and liked it so much we went back again the next night. (Even having Ronald McD in tow couldn't spoil the experience) I will never forget the size of the man (Large!) or his work with the trademark Gibson Flying V guitar that he called Lucy. I feel fortunate to have seen this legend before he died at the age of 67 in 1992.

If you like the blues, this is a must album for your playlist. Available on iTunes and from Amazon.

JOHN PRINE

I totally missed on this album when it was released in 1971. I'm not sure what we were listening to in those early days at Floyd's Hotel. My guess is Dylan, The Band, Traffic and The Stones and any blues albums the Maniac brought over on one of his visits. It's funny that I didn't pick up on this album, because at the time Prine was being called the "Next Bob Dylan". That should have put him on my radar.

I only recently got excited about Prine's music after I bought Fair and Square which was released in 2005. That great album made me curious about his earlier work, which led me to his debut album.

Prine was living in Chicago and was part of the folk scene there with friend Steve Goodman in the late 60's. He was discovered at that time by Kris Kristofferson (I guess he returned the call), who helped him get a recording contract. Produced by Arif Mardin, the album was recorded in Memphis with the great studio musicians at the American Recording Studio. Although it wasn't a commercial success, the album contains some amazing songs for a deput effort.

 Prine was one of the few "Next Bob Dylans" who actually lived up to the hype when it came to songwriting. It is mind bending that these songs were written by a 24 year old. What an old soul he was at the time. These songs represent 70's songwriting at it's best.

My favorite track is Angel From Montgomery. It is a beautiful song that was a hit for Bonnie Raitt off her 1974 album Streetlights and has been covered by many other artists. It begins with one of the great images in any song:

I am an old woman named after my mother

My old man is another child that's grown old

If dreams were lightning thunder desire

This old house would have burnt down a long time ago

 The album also contains Paradise, which is a touching song about the horrors of strip mining and the distruction of our land. I first heard it sung by the great Larry Redmon, who is the country poet of the Blue Grass. This is the chorus:

And Daddy won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County

Down by the Green River where paradise lay

Well, I'm sorry my son, but you're too late in asking

Mister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away

These are only a few of the great songs on the album. If it isn't on your playlist, you need to add it today. Available from Amazon and on iTunes.

JESSE WINCHESTER

I bought this first album by Jesse Winchester when it was released in 1970. Since I was a huge fan of The Band, any album produced by Robbie Robertson easily caught my attention. Albert Grossman was managing Jesse at the time, so the album was released on the Bearsville Label. While writing this post, I have been listening to the album a lot. I had forgotten just how good  it is.

Jesse Winchester was born in Bossier City, LA, but was raised in Memphis. After graduating from Williams College in 1966, he received his draft notice and moved to Canada to escape the draft. He met Robertson and Grossman while living and playing in Montreal in 1969.

In the photo on the cover of the album, Jesse looks like the sixth member of The Band. On many of these songs, he sounds like he is just that. With both Robertson and Levon Helm contributing on the album, the backing is like a stripped down version of The Band. Some of these songs are not far removed from The Basement Tapes.

Jesse's songwriting reflects the contrast between his southern upbringing and his northern life mandated by his flight to Canada to escape the draft. His lyrics are well written and playful at times, although some of the songs like Black Dog address darker themes.

The album starts with Payday which is a joyful, bluesy romp. The playing of that "mathematical guitar genius" is immediately recognizable. Robbie also has a co-writing credit on Snow which is kicked along by crisp drumming that sounds like Levon to my ear.

Yankee Lady, one of his best songs, describes the plight of a man torn between the love of a woman and a need to travel back to his southern roots. This theme of wanderlust and escape figures prominently in many of his songs. Note the tasteful mandolin from Levon on the cut.

Jesse's inability to tour the United States until after Jimmy Carter's draft amnesty in 1977 may have affected his career. When he was able to gain more exposure by touring, the singer songwriter era of the '70's was passing. He has never gotten the recognition that his music deserves.

This has left Jesse with a loyal following and the designation as a musician's musician, because of the impressive list of artists who have covered his songs. These include Jimmy Buffett, Elvis Costello, Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Garcia, and Reba McEntire.

If you don't have this album on your playlist, you should add it immediately. It is available on iTunes and from Amazon. Other recommended titles include:

1. Gentleman of Leisure (1999)
2. Live From at Bijou Cafe (2006)

The Songwriting of Robert Earl Keen

Robert Earl Keen is one of the most popular Texas singer songwriters working today. His biggest hits like The Road Goes on Forever, Merry Christmas from the Family, Copenhagen, and That Buckin' Song showcase his twisted sense of humor, clever songwriting and good taste in music. His loyal fans love these songs. Go to a live show and you will see the nightly sing along. It is very entertaining.

Most of his fans look like Aggie frat boys or slightly aged frat boys. They all dress like Scott F*g*n on a typical day at the office: Roper boots, pressed khakis, button down oxford shirt with tee shirt underneath, and a ball cap. These fans come to the show to hear the music, drink beer, and sing along to Robert's biggest hits. Todd Snider's song Beer Run captures this scene very accurately. If you haven't heard it, you should add it to your play list. It is a very funny song from a very talented artist.

The first time I saw Robert play in Hebbronville in the winter of 1999, I was impressed with his live show and his connection with the audience. Afterwards when I listened more closely to his CDs, I began to appreciate the depth of his songwriting talent. If you look beyond his crowd-pleasers, this man has written some songs that put him in a league with any of the best modern songwriters Texas has ever produced. These writers include Townes Van Zandt, Billy Joe Shaver, and Guy Clark, to name a few.

With that thought in mind, I would like to point out a few of his best written songs. Although the frat boys may not know all these words by heart, I think they represent the high spots of Robert's writing talent. 

Paint the Town Beige   From the album Bigger Piece of Sky, this song was the final track on the original sequencing. With a mellow backing that starts with a few chords, the lyrics are the finest in his songbook. This song can always bring a tear to my eye and that puts it in rare company. My guess is that the basis for this song is Robert's move from Austin to the Hill Country. He has written it from the heart and it shows in the words. I love the image of the "bigger piece of sky":

             I gave up the fast lane for a blacktop county road

Just burned out on all that talk about the motherlode

I traded for a songbird and a bigger piece of sky

When I miss the good old days

I can't remember why

Still I get restless and drive into town

I cruise once down Main Street and turn back around

It's crazy but God knows I don't act my age

Like an old desperado who paints the town beige

Crazy Cowboy Dream.    Also from the album Bigger Piece of Sky. This has a little more of a traditional country sound than most REK compositions. I love the steel guitar and the fiddle together. Good lyrics with great descriptive writing. I love the juxtaposition of the silver spurs and gold tequila on the chorus. I also like the image of the saddle and the cowboy dream. Very subtle and well written:

Silver spurs and gold tequila

                 You know they keep me hanging on

 pretty girls and old cantinas

Give me shelter from the storm

The miles that I have traveled 

The places that I have seen

Just won't let me put a saddle 

On this crazy cowboy dream

Runnin' with the Night    From the album Picnic, this song has a great beat and I'm not sure why Robert doesn't play it in the live shows. The words are clever when they repeat with slight variation on each chorus:

                           I've never been no daytime guy

Love the neon light

I'm a saxophone, flash of chrome

Runnin' with the night

I've never been no daytime guy

Love the neon light

I'm a swinging door, a meteor

Runnin' with the night

I'm a secret plan, a highwayman

Runnin' with the night

I'm an amber eye, a coyote's cry

I'm a wall of fire, an angel choir

Let the Music Play     From his very underrated album Farm Fresh Onions, it is a dark tale of disappointment and trickery in the modern world which is described using images from the old west. I really like the Hank Williams references in Luke the Drifter and cheating heart with the steel guitar accents from the great Marty Muse:

              He was nothing but a drifter

And he came to play the part

Disguised as Luke the Drifter

Talk about a cheating heart

Now you're alone and barely breathing

Looking down from up above

Needing something to believe in

One lonely truth and love

And the storm is slowly dying

At the breaking of the day

All the steel guitars are crying

I'm rolling down that lost highway

Road to Nowhere      From Walking Distance, it is part of a song cycle that includes some of his sweetest lyrics. This song is from the third part of the story. All the lyrics in the three songs are very well realized with beautiful words. It is my favorite part of the album:

            I climbed the mountains and I swept the plains

I crossed the border and I broke my chains

I walked the back roads 'til my shoes wore through

I'm still without you.... without you

I thought I'd find

You would leave my mind

But my dreams they just don't know

They can't seem to let you go

I'm so sad I don't know what to do

             Without you

Broken End of Love    From the album What I Really Mean, this song has great words. I'm sure that nobody writing in Nashville today has worked the word metamorphosis into a country song:

                        Line of sight, speed of sound

Feel of flesh the long way down

Flash of light you look around it's over

You're OK, but I'm a mess

It's the way it goes I guess

I think I thought we would last forever

What am I gonna do about this

It ain't no metamorphosis

It's the cold and bitter broken end of love

As you can see from these songs, Robert is a very talented songwriter. You should add the following CDs to your playlist or library, if you don't have them already. All are available on iTunes or from Amazon.

1. Bigger Piece of Sky
2. Picnic
3. Farm Fresh Onions (Whitney Vogt's favorite)
4. What I Really Mean

KELLY WILLIS

I was riding around at the ranch last week listening to AM country radio. After I got finished puking on my boots, I realized that my usual rant about the music that is played on country radio is still justified. Every song I heard had banal lyrics over bad rock/country backing. It was the typical name-checking of country themes and situations that passes for songwriting in Nashville these days. Hank Sr is twisting in his grave listening to this crap.

 I have been beating on Toby Keith, Taylor Swift, Big and Rich and Sugarland, but most of what I heard was even worse than what that motley crew turns out. It made me miss Outlaw Country on my Sirius radio and particularly Mojo Nixon. That guy plays real music, tells it like it is, and doesn't put up with any kind of musical bulls**t. 

Listening to this junk started me thinking about a good modern country album to recommend. One of the best country albums to be released in the last 10 years is What I Deserve by Kelly Willis. This is an album I can get excited about.

 Kelly lives in Austin, Texas and is married to Bruce Robison. Bruce is a great songwriter who has written several number 1 country hits including Travelin' Soldier, Angry All the Time and Wrapped. Bruce's brother is Charlie Robison, who is a fine musician as well. We call him the  human jukebox because he can play and sing the first verse of any classic country song you can name. It is an impressive family of musicians.

Kelly, who is very easy on the eyes, has a great voice and uses it well on this release. She picked some great songs, some of which she wrote or co-wrote. Bruce also contributed a few of his and she even covers a tune by Dan Penn (see post of  July 21). These are songs that have something to say and you will not get tired of listening to them. The backing is tasteful and shows off her vocals well.

 If you don't already own What I Deserve, pick it up today. Available on iTunes and from Amazon.