AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: STRANGE ANGELS/IN FLIGHT WITH ELMORE JAMES

 

Although he passed away 55 years ago, Blues musician Elmore James remains an influential musical force today. Often referred to as ‘The King of the Slide Guitar,’ Elmore’s music still resonates in the hearts of fans and musicians alike. While the names Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf might be more familiar to the casual music fan, James’s musical output is just as important as those esteemed musicians’ respected back catalogs. In fact, Elmore’s “Dust My Broom” is one of the most familiar – and most covered – Blues songs in Rock history.

 

In celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday, Elmore James gets the tribute treatment on STRANGE ANGELS: IN FLIGHT WITH ELMORE JAMES courtesy of Sylvan Songs. This collection brings Rock, Americana and Blues artists together to pay homage to Elmore and his music.  From Rodney Crowell to Chuck E. WeissBettye LaVette to Deborah Bonham, the performances on STRANGE ANGELS: IN FLIGHT WITH ELMORE JAMES are just as inspiring as the man himself.

Here’s the full tracklist:

  1. Can’t Stop Loving You– Elayna Boynton
  2. Person To Person –Bettye LaVette
  3. Shake Your Money Maker –Rodney Crowell
  4. Done Somebody Wrong –Tom Jones
  5. Mean Mistreatin’ Mama –Warren Haynes w/Billy Gibbons & Mickey Raphael
  6. Dust My Broom –Deborah Bonham
  7. It Hurts Me Too –Jamey Johnson
  8. Strange Angels –Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer
  9. Look On Yonder Wall –Keb Mo’
  10. My Bleeding Heart –Mollie Marriott
  11. Hawaiian Boogie –Chuck E. Weiss
  12. Dark And Dreary –Addi McDaniel
  13. Bobby’s Rock –Elmore’s Latest Broomdusters

One of the creative forces behind this tribute album is drummer/producer Marco Giovino, the Boston-born musician who has worked with a wide array of artists including Tom Jones, Don Henley, Buddy Miller, Bobby Bare, Loretta Lynn, Norah Jones, John Cale, Patty Griffin and many others. Marco was also a member of Robert Plant’s Band Of Joy and played with the former Led Zeppelin vocalist in 2010 and 2011. Marco himself was responsible for securing many of the artists that played on this collection.

Marco says: “Elmore is what they would call today the ‘Triple Threat’. He could write, sing and play. My intention with this record was to find artists who could help highlight all three of those areas that he excelled at. Not just one. I mentioned a few artists we could ask and Tom Siering suggested donating all proceeds to charity.  Without Tom, by my side in support of this project and the recipient charities, none of this would have been possible. His love and passion for the music and respect for the musicians and artists involved easily lifted this album to the level that Elmore’s music rightfully deserves.”

STRANGE ANGELS: IN FLIGHT WITH ELMORE JAMES is an electrifying collection that pays respect to the original recordings while introducing the music of the Blues great to a whole new generation.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

STRANGE ANGELS: 

IN FLIGHT WITH ELMORE JAMES

Available NOW! 

The Sound Of STUDIO ONE: An EXCLUSIVE Q&A with Chris Wilson!

According to Wikipedia, “Studio One is one of Jamaica’s most renowned record labels and recording studios, having been described as the Motown of Jamaica. The record label was involved with most of the major music movements in Jamaica during the 1960s and 1970s including Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae, Dub and Dancehall.” The label was founded by Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd and has become one of the most influential labels of our generation. Chris Wilson is the curator of the label’s vast catalog and is responsible for a plethora of reissues currently distributed by Redeye.
Stephen SPAZ Schnee was able to send off a handful of questions to Chris Wilson, who was gracious enough to answer them. We focus on the label’s most recent releases – FROM THE VAULTS VOL. 1 and Freddie McGregor’s BOBBY BOBYLON but also delve a little into Studio One’s history…

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ALTERED IMAGES: The Epic Years (4CDs) reviewed!

Regardless of what the naysayers think, the ‘80s was an extremely exciting decade for music. From Punkto Post-Punk, Power Pop to Synthpop, New Wave to New Romantic, there was so much creativity in the air. Punk had come along in 1976 and levelled the playing field, allowing bands to create new musical genres, of which there were many. On any given week, you could buy new releases from artists like A Flock Of Seagulls, Gang Of Four, The Icicle Works, Peter & The Test Tube Babies, Spandau Ballet, XTC, Squeeze, Culture Club, Split Enz, Madness, Blancmange, PiL, The Clash, The Human League, The Jam, Siouxsie & The Banshees and so many other remarkably talented bands. Sure, there were second and third tier bands that seemed to jump on whatever bandwagon was the most popular at the time but by and large, there were many unique bands that really stood out from the pack. Altered Images was one of those bands and THE EPIC YEARS (4CD) is all the proof you need! This box set contains the band’s three studio albums (with bonus tracks) plus an additional CD containing nine extended remixes. THE EPIC YEARS is the definitive Altered Images collection and should be a part of any serious music fan’s collection. Ahem, that means YOU, the reader!

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: JOE PERRY/SWEETZERLAND MANIFESTO

 
Ever since Aerosmith’s debut album was released 45 years ago, Joe Perry has been one of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s most respected guitarists. While some may have thought of him as Steven Tyler’s trusted sideman in the Hard Rock outfit, Perry was much more than that – he was the architect of Aerosmith’s Blues-based Rock groove.  When Perry left Aerosmith for a few years in the early ‘80s, he took that distinct Perry vibe with him.

LEAVES’ EYES return with SIGN OF THE DRAGONHEAD!

 
SIGN OF THE DRAGONHEAD is the seventh album from German/Norwegian Symphonic Metal band Leaves’ Eyes. It is their first full-length album to feature Finnish vocalist Elina Siirala, who replaces original vocalist Liv Kristine. Elina’s impressive live premiere in front of more than 20,000 metal heads at the Hammersonic in Jakarta / Indonesia and other subsequent live shows established Elina as a charismatic frontwoman with a powerful voice, immediately sparking euphoria among Leaves’ Eyes’ fans.

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AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: TONIGHT ALIVE/UNDERWORLD

 
Tonight Alive hail from Sydney, Australia. As they celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their formation, the band unleashes their fourth full-length platter, UNDERWORLD! The album is filled with shimmering Punk Pop anthems wrapped up in candy coated gloss –  the audio equivalent of summer romance even when it is cold and rainy outside!

AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: CINDY ALEXANDER/NOWHERE TO HIDE

For two decades,  singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Cindy Alexander has been crafting albums of emotional strength and delicate beauty. Thankfully, the string of albums that she has released over the years have not gone unnoticed. In 1998, she was named Songwriter of the Year and nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year by the Los Angeles Music Awards. Her debut album SEE RED was nominated for Independent Pop Album of the Year. Since then, she’s received many more awards and nominations including Songwriter of the Year –JPF Music, Best Female Rock Vocalist – All Access Music Awards, and Special Achievement Pop Artist – Los Angeles Music Awards. She was offered a major label recording contract thanks to her appearance on NBC’s Star Tomorrow but she chose to have more control over her career and rejected the offer.

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AMPED™ FEATURED ALBUM OF THE WEEK: INGRAM/NIGHT STALKERS

     
     NIGHT STALKERS, originally released in 1984, was Ingram’s third and final album. And before you jump to conclusions, this band of Ingram siblings was not related to Grammy-winning singer/songwriter James Ingram although there is a member of this act who goes by the named James/Jim! This album features the multi-talented former basketball player Norman AKA Butch Ingram (bass and trumpet) joined by his siblings James (vocals, keyboards, sax, flute), Barbara (vocals), Billy (guitar, bass, trombone), John (lead vocals, drums, tuba), Timmy (drums, percussion, trumpet) and Francis, Edith, and Virginia (vocals).  Unlike most other family bands at that time, Ingram was a self-contained unit – writing, arranging and producing their own material.

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