Jonny Lang - Fight For My Soul - The State of Soul Music 2013

Jonny Lang's new Fight For My Soul is one of the best records I've heard yet this year - and here's your chance to win an autographed copy! 

To enter, all you have to do is make a comment about the album in the comments section below, or comment on my review of the album on the Rock Guitar Daily Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rock-Guitar-Daily-with-Tony-Conley/360542026407 

I'll announce the winner on Thursday September 19th - that's just three days from now!

Dang - there's little better than to be greeted on a Monday morning by a record that completely overturns the coffee cart, and kicks you square in the tail.

Fight For My Soul by Jonny Lang is one of those records - don't make the mistake of thinking that Lang is just another wannabe blues rocker, no, he's long since moved on to serious and sophisticated rocking soul that evokes the best of Marvin Gaye, Prince, and yes, even the pop wizardry of Michael Jackson. Not just a record, this is an achievement.

Did I just write that? Yeah, I did, and I'll build my case, but let me start with his singing - every song here is drenched with Lang's excellent sense of soul, melody, and passion. There's no walking through the tunes, he's putting his soul on the line with every cut, and making the mark and often greatly transcending it. Then there's also tons of great guitar work, and a production that harkens back to the days of big budgets and dreams. This record is one expansive son of a gun - it covers a lot of ground, but Lang always sounds like Lang, he's definitely found his voice.

This is Lang's first studio outing in seven years, and it sounds like he spent the whole time working on his songwriting, singing, and record making chops - fighting for his soul? It sounds like the war is being waged and won. His singing on the title track covers a lot of ground, from a whisper to very healthy belting, and back. This picks up where R&B got lost in the late '80s, when skills gave way to drum machines and infantile loops. I also like that albums are getting back to reasonable lengths - 11 songs are a manageable dose.

Calling Jonny Lang a bluesman is now the way of rapscallions who put pen to paper without first listening - he's graduated to that lofty altitude in which he can be called an artist. The bluesy riff that kicks things off on Blew Up is about the bluesiest thing on the record, and less than a minute later we're into a melodic mashup of big pop and rock that is fantastically catchy - if this was 1985, they would have spent a cool million on the video. He blows up the house, burns it down, and walks away smiling. The bridge goes to Minneapolis via London, sounding like Prince joining Foreigner (when they had it). A fiery guitar solo reminds us that he's a six-string strangler, and then it's back into the chorus for a sizzling end. The drums, bass, and Dwan Hill's keys are on fire, as well. It sounds like everybody played like their lives depended on this one.

Breaking In is modern soul done right, with marching drums, slick strings that give way to a thumping and swaggering stomp. The songcraft is killer - sections come and go with a cohesion that suggests lots of time spent thinking about outmoded things like arrangements, and production. The keyboards are layered on very heavily, and they're wonderful - whether it's some tinkling piano, or string and synth washes, they are spot on.

Some skronky wah guitar announces We Are The Same, and we're in the territory of '70s soul, circa Curtis Mayfield and his classic, urban tales. Sophistication is on tap in spades here, as big cascades of female vocals take over, only to be taken over by big Philly sounding strings and electric pianos that are perfect cushions for Lang as he applies his husky baritone to the tale. James Anton's rumbling bassline drives the chorus as things get bigger and bigger - it's great to hear such expert use of dynamics and drama. Another very cool bridge pushes us into a furious guitar solo that gets pushed too and fro by a slamming bass and drums interlude - Barry Alexander's drum playing is a marvel across the whole of the record. Hit after hit, kids....

One of the great things about this record in the fact that for all its intensity, it still manages to breathe. What You're Looking For combines solid soul songwriting with some modern production touches as Lang's vocals dance around the band and some fabulous background vocals that are placed strategically through the mix - when the chorus gets there, the whole thing is as wide and beautiful as the Grand Canyon. Lang never gets into the trap of cliched guitar parts - his parts are always right for the song, and there's no lingering blues rock boredom to be found.

Not Right walks in on a pad of acoustic guitar, but soon gives way to another slab of soul - this is deep in the tradition of social analysis via rhythm and rock. Lang's vocals are all over the place as he dips in and out of husky voicings and flutier falsettos. This takes the direction that I always hoped guys like Prince and Terence Trent D'arby would take - the soul is served properly, but the rock is heavier and more present.

The Truth is a builder - it comes in with pinched single string guitar notes and a bed of piano as Lang unfolds his tale of dependence in love. By the second verse, the drums are a heavy presence, as Lang does great work combining his vocal with some very tasty guitar work - Very pop. very much in the vein of the love ballad hits of Cheap Trick. That may sound almost blasphemous, but get over it - Rick Neilsen and Robin Zander owned that stuff, and it is tremendous ear candy. Lang has written a great song, sings like a man possessed, and plays great guitar - nothing to it, right?

Jonny Lang is following his muse - it's easy to hear as he goes from song to song here, and River is another cornucopia of styles that meld together like the best french recipe - you see an ingredient go by and you smile in acknowledgment, and it's off to the next. His solo fairly bounces off the wall, as he kicks the level of his vocal up a notch, or two, before settling into a ride out that is rich in female backgrounds, guitar squalls, and a drum track that is marvelously relentless.

The title track, Fight For My Soul, is a vocal tour de force. Sounding appropriately vulnerable, Lang lets the song unfold at a slow, easy pace that gently builds with some nice unison guitar bends, and a pulsing bass and drum routine that speaks volumes about the respective players taste and skills. Things get louder when a spiky organ joins the mix, the bass swoops and dips, and our young hero jousts with voice and guitar. He's fighting for his soul, but in such a classy fashion that we're never anything but sure that he's not going to win, he's won.

All Of A Sudden is straight early seventies balladeer, and he gets it perfect. Another huge vocal victory - is anyone singing like this on a regular basis in 2013 - maybe only my pal, Glenn Hughes, and maybe Richie Kotzen are singing quite this spectacularly. Layers upon layers of voices, melodic synth that reminds me of the days when Stevie Wonder had his hands on his Arp and Moog synths - yeah, it's that good. Maybe the vocal performance of the year.

I love big and great production - I enjoy hearing musicians stretching and testing their skills - Lang and co-producer Tommy Sims obviously spent a huge amount of time painting this masterpiece. Seasons is a perfect example - epically drawn out, it goes many places you don't expect in its cinematic journey. The strings literally take on various personas - the last album I heard that had great strings was Sonny Landreth's Elemental Journey last year, and I understand that it's a grand adventure to commit to the cost of strings, let alone to taking the time and diligence to make them adventurous, and well thought out. Much of the sonic play at work here suggests European psychedelic music of the early seventies, and movie soundtracks. And, on top of it, Lang has written another great song in which to immerse in the ocean of aural glory.

Jonny Lang obviously took his time and has reached deep into his psyche to construct this album - I'll Always Be is a slow drifter of a tune that gently carries the album out to sea, and we see that one time prodigy has matured into the complete package. When he takes his final solo of the record, his guitar is joyfully joined by his voice, and he really could not have gotten it any better than he does.

Fighting For My Soul is a great record. Jonny Lang - I hope he gets the listeners he deserves with this album. I will say that I never expected to hear something like this - this pops right into that rarified atmosphere I consider to be artistic greatness. A huge accomplishment.

http://www.jonnylang.com
https://www.facebook.com/JonnyLang
https://twitter.com/jonnylangband

The Graveltones - Don't Wait Down - Flippin' Brilliant

"Forget Batman and Robin. The Graveltones are The Dynamic Duo for the 21st century. Jimmy and Mikey deliver the most exciting, musical, and texturally compelling sounds of any duo I've had the pleasure of listening to (and jamming with) in a very long time!" ~ Elliott Randall

My problem with most duos is the fact they're often not great players, singers, or performers. In fact, that's been my gripe with shitloads of rock for way too long, but the tide is turning, and The Graveltones have shown me the light - these guys have mad skills, they write catchy rock, play their asses off, and what do you know, the guy can even sing.

That guy is Jimmy O, who handle the guitars and vocals, and he's driven to his madness by the thunderous, but precise bashing of drummer Mikey Sorbello. They're creating a hell of an effective stew - I'm hearing some Zep, a boatload of T. Rex, and even some early G&R, and that's just in the first tune, Bang Bang. O is a wicked six-stringer, he manages to carry the show with fat, aggressive riffs and inventive pointed soloing. He also has great pipes - he swoons and sweeps in and out of song sections, and always returns to a solid, gritty baritone that jumps out of the mix.

Bang Bang leads off, and the die is cast - a brutish riff kicks things off, and O is immediately throwing down righteously loud rhythms and weaving a melody over the top that delivers on the promise of the Bowery's best rockers from the seventies. Johnny Thunders may have sounded this good had he laid off the junk, but when this pair go into the best breakdown since Aerosmith's first record, the train just keeps a rollin'. This is half big city, half rootsy-rockin' blues madness with some incredible flourishes that go glam.

These two Australians didn't know one another when they landed in London and fell into a jam that lead to instant gigging, but they sound like they're connected at the hip musically - Forget About The Trouble is over too soon, with it's tight unison guitar and vocal riffs - Jimmy O has heaps of star quality, and he takes great command of every moment as Sorbello not once allows things to slow down.

Big beat rock - this stuff sounds huge, and while it starts off lo-fi, the bass drums and hi-hats instantly thrust Dying On Your Feet back to a time when drums sounded huge, precise, and as they should. The footwork here is astounding, and O is fabulous at coming up with one great riff after another, and then he takes a one note solo that leads into an end of times interlude that then goes into some calliope craziness before returning to the brontosaurus beat - Classic Rock Magazine got it right when they called this bunch one of the best new bands of 2013.

St. Lucia sounds like what I always wanted The Stooges to sound. Punk as fuck, but with a sense of style and precision that Iggy's lot could never really muster. This sounds like a Coltrane blast set to rock, and sent down to the infirmary. Again, I hear a similarity to the days when Steven Tyler had such a command of his genre - this has all the swagger, and an updated structure that is very today. When the pair go into the breakdown there's some otherworldly vocals weaving around the big beats, and then O unleashes a whammy-infused solo that is out but in.

This pair sound like no one but themselves at the end of the day - I make comparisons so you can hear what I'm writing to - that's the best way I can find to communicate the wonderful noise going on here. Money is a tune that makes the case - both musicians are playing leagues above much of what I hear from day to day, and with an originality that makes me smile. Even when they're being experimental, they are still engaging and keeping my attention front and center.

Crime To Be Talkin' is a cinematic tale that starts slowly, cleanly, and as the story gets more involved so does the music. Sorbello is a master of mixing it up - he's hitting everything in sight, and all at the right time - when the guitars get loud and Jimmy O goes into some of his farthest reaching vocal gymnastics of the album he lays back into a big backbeat that fits perfectly. Dynamics are on the menu, and The Graveltones are steeped in the art.

Lightning Bolt is a full out rocker that sounds huge, but not too covered in mush, or in any way shrill or harsh. O's guitar tones are filthy and full, but still well defined and unobtrusive. His solo is straight from the good book of Jimmy Page, and I gotta think the master would be pleased. Fuzz has never sounded better, and his playing is as on point as his tones. Thrilling.

Dulcet keyboards ring in I Am A Liar, and O is singing from behind a bit of time-shifted distortion that keeps things somewhat psychotic - half Ian Hunter/half Alice Cooper? A great piece of songwriting. Nothing else on the album sounds like this, and I can't wait to hear more, though I'm not even through with the debut.

You're No Good is heavy as hell, with some more great drum work, and vocal tricks that you're not expecting - they never quite play it straight and take the easy way out, they tweak, twist, and turn everything around to keep it exciting - a huge success.

A bit of rock-a-billy madness jumps out on Catch Me On The Fly - the guitars are gritty and dirty, but this still manages to swing like mad as Mikey Sorbello again takes command of the rhythmic thrust. I keep forgetting that this is a two piece, and that's amazing - they never fall into a rut, and they keep coming up with hook after hook after hook.

Never Going Back is another dime store detective novel type tale that jumps from genre to genre as the drums, vocals, and guitars all compete for attention. Slick production ideas come off well as voices and choirs come and go while the exuberant rock flows like molten lava into a sinister section that gets swept away by a big rock ending.

Epic ending? Sure, why not. Six Billion gets the slow setup before some noise bombs start going off through the mix - it's suspense at its best, and when Jimmy O lays out the tale amongst the ruins, he's walking through an arrangement that leads straight into rock 'n' roll Armageddon. This is a great ending as it restates the records various premises, and leaves me wanting to hear a bunch more.

Rock Ain't Near Dead - it's become my mantra, and I've never been more sure. The Graveltones certainly made that clear this afternoon. Run out and buy this one - it's out October 21 on Lagoon Dog Records.

http://www.thegraveltones.com/
http://www.facebook.com/thegraveltones
http://www.twitter.com/graveltones

Elvis Costello and The Roots - Wise Up Ghost - Collaborative Cool

Just last week I was looking at the new signature Gibson SG commemorating The Root's guitarist Cap'n Kirk Douglas, and as I watched him playing some slinky, suggestive chords on said instrument, I mentioned to a friend that I knew little about the band, but had planned on checking them out for some time.

No sooner was this said than Wise Up Ghost, the new album by Elvis Costello and The Roots landed upon my table, and I am an instant convert - Costello is brilliant as always, and The Roots sound like they've digested most of the soul music that's been made for the last sixty years, and given it their quirky and much more than competent update. If you had played this for me in 1978 and told me it was what Costello would sound like in 35 years, I'd have been most pleased.

The concept emerged after repeated jam sessions spurred by Costello's appearing on the Jimmy Fallon show - at some point they realized that they had an album in the works, and indeed, they do. Wise Up Ghost is a welcome addition to a year that has been surprisingly potent in new releases.

The Roots are more urbane and less spastic than were The Attractions, but there are soulful similarities, as I can hear echoes of Motown, Philly, and Stax in the grooves here. Especially noteworthy is Questlove's drum work, which gets him a seat next to names like Purdy, Al Jackson Jr., and Earl Young, as a hall of fame worthy stickman. In fact, though, the entire band is solid as a rock, and smooth as silk. It's easy to see how Costello envisioned his busy word play and subtle melodicism working so well in this setting.

Walk Us Uptown sets the tone as a pastiche of electronics announce the intro - Questlove's tight, high hat driven beat instantly gets things moving as period perfect keyboard swirls take me back to the days of Was (Not Was), Cap'n Kirk's comping is mated to the drums like newly weds, Costello brings in extra melody for the chorus, and this is the E's best collaboration since Bacharach. Sophisto-pop at its best.

Retro meets modern as some early '60s strings ring in Sugar Won't Work, and then there's some Motown approved single low string guitar statements that bring in the king, and again, he's killer on the choruses - this is Southern fried soul mixed with Carnaby Street meeting in 2013, and they walk the dinosaur. The Roots remind me of this season's Daft Punk as they explore the past, then drag it sweetly into the future. Kamal Gray's keyboards are fabulous throughout, and on this cut he provides some amazing organ work, swirling, punching, and coaxing Costello. Do they quote The Age of Aquarius at the end? Maybe.

Skronky clavinet signals the entry of Refuse To Be Saved - this evokes thoughts of Dylan gone hop, and it's again, just fucking brilliant. You can almost hear the fun for everyone in the grooves - Mark Kelley's expanded range bass walks wonderfully, at one moment percolating, then supplying great melody. This is the first track that sounds like Elvis is joining The Roots as opposed to vice versa, but it cuts well in both directions.

British history is refreshed in the intro to Wake Me Up - ska infused pub rock gets pumped up for the times, but this is close enough to classic UK soul that early Costello fans will realize they might have his best record in decades in their machine. Douglas turns his guitar up a bit, and you almost think he's going to solo, but he's just mixing it up and enhancing the groove.

Tripwire sees Costello getting soft and sappy, and he does it better than anyone. Delightfully empathetic backing is on tap, as the band seems to understand Elvis as well as any band he's worked with, and maybe even better. The background vocals on this one are especially wonderful, as The Roots get smooth, and pretty.

A simple toggling of chords that remind me of Petty's Breakdown on Stick Out Your Tongue, and things remain slow, and syrupy. A perfect pace for EC to weave his poetry.

Come The Meantimes picks up the pace with pulsating bass, a crisp beat, and some spacey keyboards - it seems that the album proceeds at a pace that further incorporates the ingredients as it goes - the stew gets better and better as it simmers on the stove. I can't wait to see them do this material onstage, that should be very special, indeed.

"She's pulling out the pin," and (She Might Be A) Grenade. Less ambitious, but no less engaging - mostly strings, bass, and a fat back beat accompany some electric piano chords and some Douglas plucked arpeggios, and Elvis riffs over the top. Another tale of love going sideways.

Cinco Minutos Con Vos (with La Marisoul) brings me back to Was (Not Was), and for me there are few higher compliments when it comes to danceable sophisticated pop. However, the duet only sort of works for me - mostly in melody and movement, but it doesn't quite resonate with me.

Viceroy's Row is another reminiscent of the dulcet soul of Was (Not Was) - tasteful R&B with a jazzy vocal attached on top with smarter than usual wordplay. It's late night, and things are perhaps winding down for the evening. An amazing performance by low-ender Kelley here keeps the listener coming back for another round.

The title tune might be the best on tap yet. A broken beat staggers along with some fabulous string arranging - Costello sounds like he's singing under a light post, as he wonders when the ghost will wise up. Time moves fluidly, a task much tougher to play than to listen, and Questlove gets his Most Valuable Player award on this one. Douglas makes some great guitar noise that could be mixed higher for my taste, but this is an incredibly successful experiment in music making - surely more than Metallica and Lou Reed could accomplish. This is a more natural pairing, and both sides walk away victorious and pleased, I'm sure. Wise Up Ghost makes the case.

If I Could Believe is a nice way to wrap things up with Elvis singing with a solo piano, his occasionally spotty intonation forgiven by his incredible vibrato. Questlove's drumming is stately when it arrives and they waltz wonderfully into the sunset. A lovely bit of orchestration sends the ships sailing, and one of the year's best listening experiences is over. 

Wise Up Ghost is out September 17th in the US

Philip Morgan Lewis - Karma Comedown EP - Making Me Miss Ronnie Lane

When I requested some info on Philip Morgan Lewis upon hearing his new Karma Comedown Ep, I wasn't too shocked, and pretty pleased to hear that one of his favorite musical toys is an old reel to reel tape recorder from the seventies he uses to track his vocals, guitars, and drums. You can hear the warmth on every track - the sounds and playing on this are the perfect bedding for his soulful vocals and his 'oh so tasteful' songwriting.

The single (https://soundcloud.com/philipmorganlewis/karmacomedown) is the title track, and while it definitely deserves all the attention it's getting over across the puddle in the UK, it's the track Parlay Woods that won my heart and made me miss the late, great Ronnie Lane. One of my favorite tracks of 2013 - it's a country tinged soul rocker in the best British tradition, filled with tasteful playing from his whip crack sharp band, and his background singers, while he weaves the tale from the top of the mix:

https://soundcloud.com/philipmorganlewis/parlaywoods-ep

Lewis comes across as a singer/songwriter who has well absorbed the fact that just a good song and a guitar is often not enough. This EP is brimming with clever arrangements, and he uses his voice as another instrument in the mix - when he bounces between a sweet falsetto and a husky Frankie Miller kind of busking on One Day, he's being chased by an arrangement that gets bigger and bigger with each verse, but he still wins by a head. His stealthy soufulness keeps taking me back to the sadly departed Ronnie Lane, he of The Small Faces, Faces, and a hallmark of British soul.
Lewis' band is sharp as nails for the whole of the EP - especially notable is the slide guitar of Steve Honest, who's worked in the past with a very diverse list of acts that includes Uriah Heep, Dolly Partin, Culture Club, and Bobby Womack. The rhythm section of bassist Ben Jones and drummer Jon Harris make a bunch of noise, jumping out on the title track like gangbusters, bringing back memories of Norman Greenbaum's '60s classic, "Spirit In The Sky.' They're both subtle and thumping - never an easy combo, but they pull it off with great aplomb. Riffing along over every song is guitarist Rob Updegraff - on Hell Hole Blues the guitars create a thick stew of blues that never bores, as they keep it both on point and loosely tight.
Karma Comedown was mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Rolling Stones, Jack White), and it's money well spent - songs jump out at you, and the clarity and aforementioned warmth of the mix are tremendously enjoyable in this time of ProTools sterility.

Little A wraps up the all-too-short song cycle with a bit of Dylanesque whimsy - the tangled up in blue guitars are prodded along by the bass and drums, and the female background vocalists are sublime, but it's Philip Morgan Lewis who keeps us focused on the songs. Not an easy task, as his skillful production has made this one of the sonic standouts of 2013.

There's a full length album in the pipeline for October/November, but for now try out this tasty sampler, and see if it doesn't make you miss the soulful musicality of Ronnie Lane, and a bunch of other wonderful memories when all music had the pleasure of hitting tape.

http://www.philipmorganlewis.com/

Thanks to Vicky Crawley, and Philip Morgan Lewis and band.

Lightnin Malcolm - Rough Out There - The Blues At Its Best 2013

Lightnin Malcolm is the real deal - he's steeped in the tradition of the Mississippi juke joint blues, and Rough Out There just may be the best pure blues to cross my path this year. Out September 10th on Shakedown Record, it's a very self-contained project with Malcolm being joined by drummer Carl Gentle White (AKA Stud), the grandson of blues legend T Model Ford (New York Times Obituary, 7-18-13), with whom Malcolm cut his musical teeth for many years as a drummer. Yes, this record is steeped in it.

Malcolm also may be familiar to many as a touring member of The North Mississippi All Stars. This fall finds him touring furiously with the Dickerson brothers as the All Stars cross the US, then head out to Europe and the UK. He'll be holding down the bottom on bass for the band and opening up shows as a solo act. In his spare time he also found his way to aiding the All Stars on their excellent new record, World Boogie Is Coming. Busy is good, and Lightnin Malcolm is busy.

Workin kicks off the manifesto as Malcolm proclaims to be "Chasin' that blue sky, all down that road," and it sounds like it must be true. The beat is insistent and the guitars are as tough and thick as nails - when the slide comes out the soloing commences and Malcolm sounds like he was born to this. His tones are perfect - not too shrill, not mushy, but rather taut and on point.

If you told me that this record was where someone like Fogerty got his inspiration back in the sixties, I wouldn't blink. My Life's A Wreck is a choogling number, and the guitar riffs are perfectly nested under the story. Stud's drum fills do indeed sound like he grew up on Malcolm's lap as a youngster - they come off as joined at the hip in the best sort of style. They've known each other all their lives and in a genre in which timing is everything, they've got it covered.

Dellareesa reminds me of some long lost David Lindley record with its caribbean horns and beats that keep things moving - again, the drums are perfect as toms careen wonderfully alongside both Malcolm's vocals and the horn charts. Malcolm makes it all sound organic - there's no sense of genre jumping.

Wicked wah-drenched shards of guitar belch forth to form Reality Check - from a thick slurry of chords to some skronky and slick single string work, the intro leads into a reggae beat that has me dancing in my seat as Lightnin unfurls the tale. The way-wah comes back out for the solo, and now you hear that Malcolm did hear a Zeppelin record, or two - his solo sounds like it came out in one beautiful flow, and without the pentatonic predictability that makes most blues rock so boring. No, this is In The Moment 101, as Malcolm lays it down as it happens. Great stuff.

Malcolm's well versed songwriting keeps things from becoming rote, or a bore - So Much Trouble sounds like a Curtis Mayfield remnant, and the drums continue to contribute mightily to the arrangements - I often say that great drumming separates good records from great records, and this serves to prove the point. Redemption seems to play a part in Lightnin Malcolm's catalog - there's no sparing the dark, but it's always lit with sonic hope. This is some seriously soulful music.

Rough Out There is straight out of 1973, and I can envision a world in which the good fight was won. This one reminds me of my old boss, Bobby Womack - again, the story isn't pretty, but there's light at the end of the tunnel that ain't a train. Malcolm throws in some crazy echo and some nice atmospheric keyboard washes that add a great string-y sound to the very melodic mix. Brilliant drums are on tap again, and this is a soundtrack for our times.

Took Too Long stomps it's way back to deep blues, and Malcolm does his usual excellent job of singing along with his unison guitar parts. He layers things nicely, so there is not a time in which things get too samey, or stale. There's a tremendous art, a very difficult art to soloing in a minimalist context, and nobody is beating Malcolm at this game - he and Stud are sympatico deluxe.

Country music? Sure - Givin You Away finds Malcolm going loosely up to the neighborhood of Nashville, with some nice steely fills, and a fat backbeat - his slide solo is pure style and grace, a thing of pearly beauty. The story is a cliche, but it's done so well that you realize why this type of arrangement always wins.

The beat steps up to a steady rollin' shuffle on Money as the unison vocals and guitar attack continues - strange, but this sounds to my ears what would happen if you dipped Steely Dan in the waters of the Mississippi. That may sound a bit whacky, but Lightnin Malcolm excels at working in much more sophistication into these grooves than may seem apparent on the first listen. I'm guessing reading this would make Donald Fagen as happy as it might Malcolm - good company.

Chiefs - what the hell is this? American Indian blues? Oh hell yes - the big beat tom-toms and the pinched riffs are perfect. How come this hasn't happened before now? This reminds me of the perfection Jim Jarmusch achieved when he had Neil Young write and record the soundtrack to Dead Man - perfect.

Juke joint jumping comes back into focus on Young Woman, Old Fashioned Ways - Elmore is dustin' his broom up in heaven over material like this. Lightnin Malcolm has a PhD in this stuff, and when he starts slurring the guitars in the solo, he approaches blues genius.

Malcolm combines his guitar licks - thick and syrupy bass lines that lead into sharp chord stabs that are married to some sweet, 'Philadelphia by way of Stax' horns to lay the foundation of the big city blues that are Mama. Maybe the best mama song since Papa Was A Rollin' Stone. Again, this seems to retell the same tales that were told the last time this country was in slump of slums and wars back in the seventies. Sad to see such times return, but certainly some great music gets made from the rubble.

Things get a little gospel-tinged with Stomp Yo Feet, Clap Yo Hands - then the pace picks up as Lightnin Malcolm takes us uptown for a dance hall sermonette. A nice walking bass line tags along with some stinging slide guitar as the preacherman lays it down. Malcolm feels it deep, and so will you.

How Blessed You Are is a great way to wrap it up, as Malcolm gets contemporary - one foot in the past, one in the present - a great way to approach the blues, always wrapped in great rhythms and melody. I don't like a lot of rap, but I dig this one. Maybe because the message is reaching for my heart and not my wallet.

Lightnin Malcolm has knocked it out of the park with this record - as I'm fond of saying, Rock Ain't Near Dead, and this is a sound remainder - great music is being made and we are truly blessed to have great examples like this record.

http://www.lightninmalcolm.com

Steve Hackett on Genesis Revisited II - The Rock Guitar Daily Interview

"I know progressive rock has had its critics, but I can't bring myself to be critical of the music that was a shot in the dark from a bunch of young guys." ~ Steve Hackett on Genesis

Steve Hackett was named Best Guitarist in 2012 by Prog Magazine, and his latest album, Genisis Revisited II garnered the award for Best Album. Since then, he has toured to packed houses across the UK and Europe, and he will be bringing the production through the US and Canada starting late in September.

Genesis Revisited II has been a phenomenal success - while generally I've not been a fan of artists re-recording their past glories, that all changed with this release. Hackett chose not to attempt what many have done - re-recording old hits to circumvent old record companies and contracts in order to generate new profits - he actually approached the project for all the right reasons, enhancing old arrangements with orchestral accompaniment unaffordable at the time of the original recordings, improving some personal performances via his own musical growth and maturity, and even including many musicians who were inspired and influenced by these songs over the years. Success born of right intent, right effort, and authenticity.

I had the privilege and opportunity to talk with Steve last week, a busy week in which he had the unfortunate duty of returning home from holiday to write a eulogy for his recently deceased father:

Steve Hackett: "I was in Italy earlier today, and this evening I'm back in England! So, I've been traveling as is my way, and I was recently in Greece just a few days ago, and now I'm talking to you in California - the global village is in full working order!"

I offered my condolences for his father's passing, and asked about the influence of his father - not just as a musician, but as a man:

Steve Hackett: "Thank you. That happened just at the beginning of my holiday. It's one of those things, and there's going to be a funeral two days from today for him. I'm just writing an obituary, in a way, something I can read at the funeral. 

"He was the guy that brought me to music! 

"He played a number of instruments, not professionally, but first of all he passed on the harmonica to me - mouth organ, and then it was the guitar. The first guitar chords I learned were from my dad, from a guitar he'd brought back from Canada. He had lived in Canada for a couple of years. 

"He brought back a guitar, and when I was twelve, I was finally big enough to seat the thing on my knee and try to get sounds out of it. 

"So yeah, he was very important to me and my brother, who was also a musician. He suffered both our early efforts at making music. 

"I was just writing this - my dad was a powerhouse - he produced thousands of paintings. A reclusive man, but he was a friend to so many in his quiet way. You'd always find out by the back door that my dad had done something for this guy, and that woman, fixed the lights for somebody, and done the shelving for someone else, all that kind of stuff. 

"yeah, one of those quiet heroes. He'll be sadly missed. He hadn't been well for many years. In his time, he was an extraordinary character."

Choosing to stay with this familial thread of thought, I asked Steve about his relationship with his wife, Jo. His wife is not just an author in her own right, she also writes lyrics and music with her husband, is very instrumental in running the family business, and like Hackett is a knowledgable world traveler:

Steve Hackett: "Jo and I were married a couple of years ago, so we became an official couple at that point, though we've known each other much longer than that. 

"Over the course of twenty years, and we really share everything. It's quite an extraordinary thing! We just came back from holiday in Greece - she's a great Grecophile, and historian. She's written the occasional history book! 

"She's so very well informed about a number of things - I'm a pupil here, if you know what I mean, I've got everything to learn! 

"She and I share so many things, and I think that we took so long to get together as an official couple, having gone through my divorce, we're kind of making up for lost time. We travel to as many places as possible and do as many things as we possibly can, work with as many people as possible, write as many songs together as possible, and it's a partnership in every sense of the word. 

"She loves to travel, and travel is important to feed the creative spirit. I don't think there's anyplace she's been with me that she's been bored. There is always something about everywhere - she's a regular Pollyanna in that sense of the word. As long as we're together, we always feel like we are at home. Wherever we are, whether we're in the air, the car, everywhere becomes a capitol city - it's 'In the Moment Central!' 

"I found I couldn't be without her, and it's been very long and it's still blossoming, I have to say!"

Moving on to matters musical I asked about the genesis of Genesis Revisited II:

Steve Hackett: "It always felt current to me. I know that progressive rock has had its critics, but I can't bring myself to be critical of the music that was a shot in the dark from a bunch of young guys. 

"I started with Genesis just over 40 years ago, 41 years ago, oh no - 42 years ago! 

"We're talking, I met them in 1970, joined in 1971, and I think the band was pulling in several directions at once, but we managed to contain it into something cohesive. The early albums weren't huge successes, but there were giant strides to be made in an industry that was still growing itself. 

"Luckily, America was very open to all things English. 

"It's difficult for me to compress into a few sentences, but I do love the music. I loved it then, and I love it now. 

"I think the politics sometimes got in the way. In the main, when we were completely open to each other, I think we came up with some extraordinary stuff. It still holds up today, and this stuff is constantly being reinterpreted by younger acts, and my homage to the early years has brought in so many who were inspired and influenced by it. 

"Genesis Revisited - it's not really a band, it's a cross between a choir and an orchestra for the nearly forty people involved in putting this together, adding their bits, and I felt very proud to do it. 

"It was great to go back and do it with new people, and add orchestra in some places. Just generally to help it breathe a bit more. 

"I've had a lot of time to think about this! In those days, when we used to have to rush the recording process, we were in and out of the studio - between gigs. I think the standards - obviously since then, the goal posts have shifted within the industry."

Curious as to his conceptualization of the Revisited project, I asked Steve exactly what his reasons were for revisiting his musical past:

Steve Hackett: "Authenticity was the key word here, rather than variation, or reinterpretation. 

"I wanted it to be - I wanted to honor the original recordings and the original arrangements, but to give it a coat of varnish, or some polish in places. 

"I think there's a pressing need when you go back to visit your past to want to do it in time, and in tune, simultaneously. Then there's the experience of everything I've learned having had my own studio, and the glossary of terms has expanded. 

"If you had asked me what a compressor was in 1970, I wouldn't have been able to tell you. Now, compression based recording is the launch pad - these days, you can put things under a microscope, and you can enlarge them to such a degree that people will pick up on the details that would have been masked in the first instance. 

"So, it's nice to be able to pull things apart and analyze them, and then stick them back together again. To say, 'Well, here it is, if you liked it the first time, you might just like it again! 

"I think I'm justified in being able to do that as one of the original authors. The word authenticity and authorship - somehow I feel there have been a lot of reinterpretations, sometimes it's been done as classical reinterpretations of Genesis - jazz versions, orchestra, jazzers, and rappers have done it. All kinds of stuff, across the board. 

"I haven't heard too many country singers doing Genesis, but that's in there with something like the opening part of The Chamber of 32 Doors, which is basically country music chords. So, all of those influences come to bear with Genesis, it was a great crossover. Something that was happening naturally - we were crossing over genres to the pan genre, of which, I would have not have been able to name it at the time, but just embracing everybody's music. It made it possible to come up with some kind of hybrid thing - the jazzers used to call it fusion, and in rock it became known as progressive music. 

"Somewhere in between there was a collision of separate intentions that managed to form something that was focused enough to set a number of people on the path to music - a lot of musicians have said that this was the reason that they took up their instrument, because they were inspired by that stuff. I think that came across the board, people that were in different areas - classical, jazz, pop, rock."

Genesis Revisited II is a huge undertaking, and Hackett is joined by his co-writer/producer/keyboardist, and right hand man, Roger King. King has been a part of the Hackett team since 1995 when he joined to assemble the first Genesis Revisited album. I asked Steve how he saw Roger's contributions:

Steve Hackett: "OK - Roger is what some would call a renaissance man. He combines two very separate areas.  

"When we were at school, art and science were taught separately. He's all logic, but he's also got the instinct, as well. He was trained as a cathedral organist, he then took a music course, in order to learn engineering - so, he's a fabulous engineer, musician, writer, and he's very disciplined. 

"I'll find myself walking up into the studio, and he's sitting down and he's playing really difficult pieces of Bach - just for fun, and to keep his fingers in shape. He's a great reference point, and a rock. 

"I think he's the least flappable guy I've known in music - sometimes on stage something will happen, and he'll say to me, 'Um, yup - keyboards just crashed, give me ten minutes.' So it's ten minutes for me to play a blues, or tell a story, whatever I've got to do, and then my head will crane around, and I'll say, 'Are we there yet, Roger?' Most of the time, he's already fixed it - it's a bit like trying to fly on one engine, or there's one wing. He'll get through and bring the plane in on time, and there's not too many crash landings! 

"He's an extraordinary character - a very dry sense of humor, very British, but quietly I think he's very proud of all the work he's done. 

"He's often critical of the things I do - but then, I think I always needed someone to tell me when I'm being average. Other times, I'll think, 'Well, I'm passionate about this', so I'll override that need for too much form, and I'll opt for spirit over form. It doesn't always work to have too many preconceptions when you're working in rock. Sometimes the best ideas serve it better - sometimes less chords are better. Other times, if you've got a melody that deserves to be told in a certain way, he'll normally pick up on it when I've got something. 

"I've just started a new album, and I'm further down the line than I'd normally be with this stuff because I've had to defer for a year because we're touring. 

"He's gone on Genesis Revisited, which has been a joy - he's taken on the mantle of Tony Banks, and done it with great panache!"

Rather unexpected was the roster of guest guitarists showing up on Genesis Revisited II - instead of handling the guitars on the album by himself, Hackett has brought along Roine Stolt of The Flower Kings, Steven Wilson, Marillion's Steve Rothery, and Francis Dunnery, though, of course, Hackett plays the lion's share of the parts. I asked what went into this decision:

Steve Hackett: "I felt that in a way, that with respect to the Genesis canon, the best thing would be to invite people who had been influenced by it. By the time I finished inviting people, what we came up with was almost as if it was a movement by the industry itself, or a certain sector of the industry to honor the early work of Genesis, and to tell people how important it was to them. 

"Luckily, the album has sold phenomenally, in droves it keeps selling, and you know, I think in a short while it actually outsold the early efforts by the band. I suspect it's like putting together an army of generals. It's been an amazing effort by a tremendous amount of people. 

"I did most of the guitar work myself, but in places, obviously, Roine did the guitar solo on The Return of the Giant Hogweed, and we liked it so much, that kind of spontaneous feel he came up with - he thought that we would do the same thing we've done live together at one point, where we'd swap phrases, but I thought it was so good, I thought, 'He's done that, let him have his say on that!' I had done the tapping on the front and all that kind of stuff, and some police sirens on the end. 

"Sometimes, one guitar is enough. With Steve Rothery, we've swapped phrases on The Lamia, on the solo at the end. 

"Steven Wilson on Shadow of the Hierophant, he joined in on the end, I actually used his guitar work from the live session he did with us at Shepherd Bush Empire - we flew that in, basically. So, we've got him playing with us, as well! 

"That's great, all these guys are pals, and it's been really good. It's been a tremendous effort by a lot of people. It's been doing great, I've been doing shows, and I've been guested by some of the people that appear on the album. 

"When we do the Chicago Shows (September 20 & 21), there's going to be Francis Dunnery, and Simon, Phil Collins' son. When we do the Royal Albert Hall in London in October, Bonnie Tyler's going to be onstage with us, which is wonderful and I'm thrilled about that. Various other people will be joining in, like John Wetton."

As I stated at the interview's beginning, Genesis Revisited II won big at Prog Magazine's 2012 year end awards - I asked Steve how it felt to be so validated:

Steve Hackett: "Yeah, it's been an amazing time! 

"I always think that it's been a slow burn for me. There were people who came out of the woodwork, like Hendrix, who seemed to arrive on the scene fully formed. But it's taken me decades - where I still wouldn't consider myself fully formed, but it does feel good to finally be getting the recognition. 

"But, you know - I always say this to people, that it might take you a long time, but you can't go wrong if you're in love with so many genres of music, and you want to do some sketching first - but, you may finally want to do the full portrait."

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