TANITA TIKARAM-CAN’T GO BACK-NEW CD..”SOULFUL GEM GET’S INSIDE THE HEART AND MIND”-REVIEW JOHN EMMS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tanita Tikaram’s new album Can’t Go Back is a soulful, emotional, and often spellbinding recording that gets inside your heart and mind from the very first listen.

The gorgeous organic title track, the stunning beauty of  Make The Day both with a sweeping Amos Lee feel, as well as the new single Dust On My Shoes  are so strong they could easily deliver her to an Adele/Dusty Springfield type audience .

Starting off with the R & B groove of All Things To You the band jumps up under the killer drumming of Jay Bellerose.

Elsewhere, the quirky groove of Rock N” Roll (not the Lou Reed classic) and the powerful but understated  Laura Nyro ambience of Keep It Real with Grant Lee Phillips on guest vocal offer the listener another side of  Tikaram’s songwrtiting. 

Producer Paul Bryan has harnessed the quality of Tikaram’s unique musicanship while the recording by Ryan Freeland breathes warm and clean. This album can’t miss. This release also has an extra 8 track CD sampler from Tikaram past efforts

Listen for me to jump on this CD on a new radio show episode.

JOHN EMMS is veteran music journalist, songwriter, and radio host http://emms.podbean.com/ John and his bandmates have fun with their rockin roots band here www.theshaftmen.com

BEST ROOTS, ROCK, RADIO..SUPERB SONG CHOICES..HOST JOHN EMMS..CHECK OUT THE ARCHIVES

Sure, I know you miss radio that had actual hand picked content.

Superb song choices in all genres..COLLECTION OF SONGS.. my radio show..is NEW MUSIC, HAND PICKED CLASSICS, and way more..it’s all over the world..FREE DOWNLOADS..

HERE IS THE LINK-TURN IT UP

http://emms.podbean.com/

BEST & WORST NOW 2012..SAMBORA-GETS ORGANIC, NILS LOFGREN..EATS IT UP..ETHRIDGE GETS SOUL. LITTLE BIG TOWN..STINK IT UP..CHRIS ROBINSON BAND SHINES-BY JOHN EMMS

Richie Sambora’s  performance today on Howard Stern was fresh and vital.

His brand new track Every Road Leads Home To You done up acoustic (for the show) had real passion. 

A fast listen at  iTunes suggests the songs to be well written, organic and band orientated. More later. Free track download at Sambora’s website

Melissa Ethridge- 4th Street Feeling.  Title track , smoky rhodes type piano,  personal breathy soulful vocal take. Sample lyric..”when everything I had could fit into my chevrolet” Very nice

Little Big Town-Pavement Ends-Lead track on the new album Tornado. Sample Lyric.”take me back to the muddy river, where the bull and cow don’t bother, pick up a girl who won’t holler”..Ouch Ouch…It’s worse than you can imagine 

Chris Robinson Band-Beware, Oh take Care-I urge everyone to check out the emotionally charged “Grateful Dead” ambience of this track. Aching vocal. and gorgeous chord changes that are unorthodox but fit so well. Impressive!

Buddy Whittington-Fender Champ-With a title like this you have to come up with the goods. Clever lyric, snaky riff, and killer lead solo. Blues rock well Done!

Nils Lofgren-Ain’t Too Many of Us Left-Nasty, Nasty. Springsteen’s over qualified guitar slinger rips and tears with vocalist Sam Moore (yes that SAM)

PSY-Gangnam Style-Great fun on the SNL sketch. But yeah the song is really shitty.

JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist, radio show host http://emms.podbean.com/ and has fun on the side with his blues rocking bro’s at www.theshaftmen.com

BOB DYLAN-“wake up critics” TEMPEST REVIEW- BY JOHN EMMS-“bob’s band hits a homerun”..”everyone is feeling it”..DYLAN’S SONGWRITING..still peaking

 

This is the best sounding recording I have heard in 2012.

You want a natural sounding record with an iconic songwriter and a killer band?  Then this is your ticket baby.

Everyone knows it’s working and as a listener you ride the groove with  Bob and his great band and you can’t stop playing this album.

Engineering  and mixing by Scott Litt is organic as hell.

Now let me get back to that in a minute

Let’s face it, a lot of music critics no nothing about songwriting or musicianship.

I have never said this before in 25 years of reviewing. but it’s true at least 50 percent of the time.

My gut feeling on Bob Dylan’s latest cd Tempest  after 4 complete listens  is this.

In the last 20 years Dylan has put a lot of faith in his backing bands and his musical peers and that explains a lot about his last 5 or 6 albums. They don”t work all the time..but they sure as hell feel right.

In reality Tempest is one of his best and you can tell in his vocal delivery and the way the band plays, everyone is indeed  feeling it.

Dylan is still  writing great songs. Check out  the mid tempo stunner I Pay In Blood, the Muddy Waters-esque Early Roman Kings,  to the wicked shuffle of Duquesne Whistle and the sheer rocking true blues of Narrow Way.

Bob and the band are a lock. 

Bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George Receli, multi-instrumentlist Donnie Herron (he really shines) as well as guitarists Stu Kimball, Charlie Sexton, and David Hidalgo (gtr, accordian, fiddle) as well as Dylan on guitar and piano make it sound easy.

The ambience and endearing vocal by Dylan on the ballads Soon After Midnight, the movie ambience of  Scarlett Town and the gorgeous Long and Wasted Years just feel right.

This is what a master storyteller sounds like folks. 

Like Neil Young and his other peers Dylan does not have to be note perfect. Songs like the long extended title track (It’s a mindblowing mini novel folks) or the  gripping Tin Angel prove  Dylan’s wordplay is extraordinary at even 71 years old.

Dylan goes inside and what comes out is true to nature.

It’s not forced. Holy shit wake up people!

The album ends with Dylan’s beautiful ode to friend John Lennon titled Roll On John

The song is heart-wrenching, gentle and as real as Dylan has allowed himself to be in recent memory.

JOHN EMMS is veteran musician, journalist, radio host http://emms.podbean.com/ John plays the blues and writes a few songs here www.theshaftmen.com and www.johnemms.com

THE SHAFTMEN/JOHN EMMS SOLO CD..PURCHASE OUR CLASSIC BLUES ROCK ON APPLE ITUNES

 

Yes, you can purchase both SHAFTMEN CD’S,  MINING THE BLUES, PAYCHEQUE BLUES…these are internationally released albums on Apple iTunes, Amazon, Cd Baby, well virtually all over the world.

If you wish you can also check out  JOHN EMMS SOLO CD..CLOSE ANOTHER DOOR in all the same places

here is the link…

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/paycheque-blues/id365389443

THE DARKNESS-HOT CAKES-“THIS IS ROCK N ROLL” JOHN EMMS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Darkness’ new cd Hot Cakes is what rock n’ roll should be. Big Hooks,  evocative lyrics and explosive playing.

Produced by the band and mixed fat and grand by Bob Ezrin this cd kills.

The minute Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us, Everybody Have A Good Time, With a Woman, and Concrete come blasting out of your speakers you realize this band is on a mission.

The muscular guitar work by Justin and Dan Hawkins is a true revelation on Hot Cakes and Justin’s ( I presume) lead solos virtually rip on Every Inch of You,  Street Spirit, Living Each Day Blind, and Keep Me Hangin’ On. All the guitar work by the brothers has a solid soulful Mick Ronson (Alladin Sane era) effect.

Not to be outdone the band’s secret weapon may be the gutsy wallop of bassist Frankie Poulain and drummer Ed Graham who lock in then proceed to build their own dynamics.

Forbidden Love sounds like it could be a top ten rock radio hit.

JOHN EMMS is a veteran music journalist, radio host http://emms.podbean.com/ and founding blues rocker with THE SHAFTMEN www.theshaftmen.com