Dave Edmunds, Tav Falco, Marina Rocks and Jackdawg
We spin new releases from Dave Edmunds, Tav Falco, Marina Rocks and Jackdawg.
Dave Edmunds - Swan Songs: The Singles 1976-1981
Edmunds survived a major cardiac arrest event earlier this year but the singer remains in rough shape. It should be pointed out that the name of this compilation, which was released before Dave's health scare, is a reference to songs released on the Swan Song label as it could be misinterpreted as a reference to end of life. Packed with nearly 30 cuts, the 2-CD
Swan Songs begins with "Here Comes the Weekend," the first of many cuts here that Edmunds wrote with Nick Lowe, an Everly Brothers-informed song that presages the sound the pair would explore in Rockpile. Other standout tracks on Disc 1 includes a Beach Boys-ish take on the Rodgers/Hart classic "Where or When," the rowdy rockabilly of Lowe's "What Did I Do Last Night?" and the fan favorite, Lowe's "I Knew the Bride." A perfect cover for Edmunds is Bob Seger's Chuck Berry-informed "Get Out of Denver" and the Edmund's original "Worn Out Suit, Brand New Pockets" shows Dave's fondness for the classic country sound. Disc 2 has some of Dave's biggies, including Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk," Hank DeVito's "Queen of Hearts," Graham Parker's "Crawling from the Wreckage" and a great take on John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night." Among the other gems on Disc 2 are a cover of "The Race is On," performed with the Stray Cats, and the exceptionally catchy horror pop of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon."
Swan Songs should be considered essential for Edmunds fans.
Tav Falco - Desire on Ice
Falco has a rabid fan base that threatens to grow exponentially every time he releases a record and the dozen self-penned songs he presents here just might do the trick. The effort begins with "Prologue," a twangy cut that sounds like the theme from a secret agent film, instrumental save for a spoken word part from guest Kid Congo Powers. The song is a perfect intro to follow up cut "Gentleman in Black," a spooky cut where Falco sings about an itinerant musician, with more twangy guitar adding to the mysterioso vibe. "Cuban Rebel Girl" is a swinging blues cut with Chris Spedding on guitar and harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite on blues harp. Tav's penchant for finding inspiration in odd places continues with "Sympathy for Mata Hari," "Vampire from Havana" (with Ann Magnuson cooing sexily on additional vocals) and "Doomsday Baby" with its line "Their children throw stones when our soldiers try to shoot 'em." Falco's wit is on display throughout the set but occasionally he plays it straight, like on the gentle love song "Chamber of Desire." Others among the many guests here include Rev. Horton Heat, Jolie Holland, Jon Spencer, Richard Barone and Bobby Gillespie. Longtime fans are going to love
Desire on Ice and newbies who give Falco a chance here won't need to keep the receipt.
Marina Rocks - S.O.S. Texas
Singer and guitarist Rocks wrote all the songs on this excellent album (with one co-write) and she scores with an anthemic country rocker called "It's All Messed Up" to start the effort; you can just imagine all the situations where listeners will love to sing along to this one. A somber tale of being overwhelmed by the Los Angeles hustle plays out in "The Hollywood Sign," painfully slow in pace and with words that reflect the agony of being at a dead end. Many fans will draw comparisons to Patsy Cline on cuts like "One More Song" where Marina is especially expressive; a bit of a surprise is the reggae-tinged "Mind's Eye" and "Slap Happy" finds Rocks playing guitar with a jazzy inflection. The instrumental cut "Starlight" leads into the album's closer, a second version of "One More Song."
Jackdawg - Jackdawg
This is a reissue of an album that saw its initial release in 2009 after, for various reasons, being shelved for 20-years. The band is a trio consisting of singer, guitarist and keys player John McFee of the Doobie Brothers, drummer Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Creedence Clearwater Revisited and the late Keith Knudsen of the Doobie Brothers on drums. The rhythmic swamp rocker "Bayou Rebel" kicks off the album in a Creedence mood while "The Men Who Would Be King" moves to a funky bounce that accentuates the song's subject matter. "Ghost Dance" features a crazy beat from Cook along with gurgling keys; the guys were clearly going for radio-ready here and they pretty much achieved that goal with the infectious groove. "Take it Off" finds McFee sounding a bit like John Fogerty and a vibrant horn section makes the cut very powerful while "Kisses in the Rain" is a sunny, laid back tune, all Saturday afternoon as opposed to the Saturday night vibe of "Take it Off." "Quicksand" features great vocal harmonies and a hooky chorus and "Lookin' for Trouble" flat out rocks. Two covers close the album, a take on Roky Erickson's swamp rocker "Cold Night for Alligators" and a version of the Van Morrison chestnut "Wild Night."
