Tommy Keene might have more aptly titled his latest release “One Man’s Parade,†as he’s not so much following in anyone’s footsteps as he’s resolutely sticking to his own path. Those who first latched onto Keene through college radio play of his superb 1984 EP Places That Are Gone may be wondering where he’d gone, but long after the EP’s incandescent closing cover of Alex Chilton’s “Hey! Little Child†faded, Keene was still making records. Good records. Good records filled with sweet melodies, chiming guitars and punchy rock ‘n’ roll rhythms. In earlier years Keene worked with Richard X. Heyman, a fellow traveler in the under-appreciated-multi-instrumentalist-rock-singer-songwriter camp, and they’ve each released a new album this year.
Keene’s indie efforts, first for his own label, and then for Dolphin, sparked a contract with Geffen that produced a pair of albums and another EP. There’s great material on each, but without a commercial breakthrough, he returned to the indie world and became a sought-after guitar sideman. His albums – this is the fifth since 2000 – have drawn critical notice, but mostly remained the province of pop fanatics. Keene handles the guitars, keyboards and half the bass playing, with Rob Brill (drums) and Brad Quinn (bass) filling out the band. His sound is largely unchanged from earlier years – thick electric guitars and a rhythm section that surrounds the vocals with sound.
As great as was everything Matthew Sweet gave to his third album, Girlfriend, what turned it up to eleven were the twin guitars of Richard Lloyd and the late Robert Quine. Here’s a vintage live performance of the album’s title track, with Quine’s unassuming appearance matched by the utter ferocity of his guitar playing.
Rocking alt.country from the heart of Long Island, NY
This Long Island trio dropped a few demo tracks in 2009 (reviewed here), promoting the catchy “One More Time†into a single and attracting some local attention. They’ve returned with a full album that leans on both their alt.country and rock roots. The Wilco influence is strong (unsurprising, given the band is named after one of Wilco’s lyrical creations), and Pete Mancini’s voice favors the reediness of Jeff Tweedy; but there’s also a melancholy in his delivery that suggests Chris Bell, and a soulful bottom end in the rhythm section that gives the band plenty of rock flavor. Mancini’s latest songs were inspired by travel journals kept by his father, as well as his own cross-country travels. From the opening “Brass Bell†you can feel the wanderlust, the urge to blow town, the expectation of the journey ahead and the confidence of someone young enough to enjoy (or at least react to) the moment.
McCartney’s first solo album, recorded as the Beatles were disintegrating, and released in the April 1970 slot originally slated for Let it Be, remains the least polished record in a legendary perfectionist’s career. Many of the songs, particularly the numerous instrumentals, are sketches and jams rather than finished productions, and even some of the lyrical tunes are fragments rather complete compositions. For a lesser artist this might be uninteresting, but for someone of McCartney’s stature, the album provides a candid picture of the isolation he suffered in his break with the Beatles. McCartney played all of the instruments, overdubbing on a Studer 4-track tape recorder he had installed in his home; the opening excerpt “The Lovely Linda†was the first piece he recorded, and provides a snapshot of the love that helped pull him through the darkness.
McCartney indulges his creative impulses, experimenting with verbal rhythms on the bluesy “That Would Be Something,†adding inventively sparse percussion, and creating an eerie menagerie of vibrating wine glasses. He digs deeply into the soul of his bass and rips up some twangy blues on guitar, momentarily invoking the reprise of “Sgt. Pepper†in the middle of “Momma Miss America.†The song “Teddy Boy†was rescued from the Get Back film, and the album’s most polished jewels, “Every Night†and “Maybe I’m Amazed†became popular album cuts on FM radio. The latter, among McCartney’s greatest songs, became a hit single in live form seven years later, but the original retains an intimacy that the Wings version didn’t capture.
After a seven-year hiatus that included health issues for Terry Adams, side projects for Joey Spampinato and the virtual retirement of Tom Ardolino, NRBQ has reformed and renewed. Spampinato joined up full time with his brother in the Spampinato Brothers, and Ardolino released himself from the rigors of touring, leaving Adams to rebuild the band with new partners. Initially billed under their leader’s name, the new quartet cut its teeth in gigs and the studio before Adams felt they captured grooves worthy of the name “NRBQ.†Adams’ new bandmates are guitarist Scott Ligon, bassist Pete Donnely and drummer Conrad Choucroun. Ligon and Donnely also add vocals and songwriting, making this a group, rather than a showcase for Adams.
Happily, the new quartet has captured the eclectic mix that made the original band so intoxicating. Leading off the album is Adams’ tribute to New Orleans legend Boozoo Chavis and his wife Leona, with Choucroun propelling the song with a terrific second line rhythm. Just as this parade passes by the band turns to the pure pop of “Keep This Love Goin’†and “Here I Am,†offering up shades of the Raspberries, Beach Boys and Gary Lewis. There’s rockabilly rhythm guitar and a touch of Carl Perkins’ lead style on “I’m Satisfied,†and the slap-rhythm of “Sweet and Petite†sounds like country came down the mountain to wax some rock ‘n’ roll.
Rock ‘em sock ‘em rock ‘n’ roll
