Take Five Reviews: October 22nd, 2010

By: Rick Landers

Plenty to like in this Session III of Guitar International’s Take Five review. I’ll admit that I’m listening to albums and if I don’t like them, then I don’t bother writing about them. So, there you have it. There’s something on each of these albums to like, and for some it might mean you have to be in a certain mood to appreciate the tracks.

Session III, like the previous Take Five sessions, is a hodgepodge of old and new, released recently or classic albums that date back before some of us were born. But, all of these albums offer up something unique, something that makes them worth a good listen, and a few downloads.

Mosaic: Ricky Skaggs – Cross-over artist, Ricky Skaggs, continues his musical legacy with his latest album, Mosaic, a project that immerses melodic and lyrical beauty in his deep well of spirituality. At its roots, Mosaic is a gospel album, given its Christian laden lyrics. But, that old time religion has been stylized toward the Beatles, with some of the arrangements and phrasing, reminding me of the ‘70s tunes by Seals and Croft.

Multi-Grammy winner Skaggs is really at the top of his game on this new CD and it’s likely to be a tough Grammy contender. And, a load of credit has to go to Ricky’s cohort, Gordon Kennedy, who has writing credits on every track, as well as for background vocals and instrumentation on guitar, bass, and lap steel . I plan on keeping this album spinning in my iPod for a long, long time.

Click to Download Mosaic from Amazon.com

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The Singles Sessions : Creedence Clearwater Revival – C’mon, we all know that Creedence Clearwater Revival defines swamp rock and no other voice registers that bayou sound like John Fogerty. Still, I can’t say I dig all these studio tracks here, but those are a very, very few. Smokin’ Cajun tracks from CCR are all here: “Suzie Q (Part 1 & 2)”; “Proud Mary”; “Bad Moon Rising”; “Born on the Bayou”; “Who’ll Stop the Rain”; “Sweet Hitch-Hiker”; “Up Around the Bend” and many more – 30 tracks in all, plus a Bonus DVD with four music videos.

For guitarists, we’re talking some basic three chord songs, but few have cashed in on those like CCR, who had a talent for slapping on some brackish blues riffs overtop and mixing them up with John’s gritty CCR vocals. When I first got this album, I fast tracked it to “Lodi”, and nearly got stuck there…but, a quick look at the playlist and I knew that’s not the way to go with this one. The Singles Sessions makes you want to put on an old flannel shirt, pull on a pair of “muck about” boots and go hunt gators…or an old bullfrog.

Click to Download the Singles Sessions from Amazon.com

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Influence: Shaw & Blades – This album is an exception to my deeply ingrained feelings that cover songs should be arrested and put in jail with wedding bands and young pups starting out (I guess I’m going to hear about that…). You may remember Tommy Shaw as the guitarist from the ‘70s rock group Styx and bassist Jack Blades from Night Ranger. Both are solid artists in their own right.

Combined these guys energetically dig into 10 classic hit songs as a duet and the coupling works. It wouldn’t take much effort to botch up a cover of For “What It’s Worth”, “Time of The Season”, “Summer Breeze” and other picks off this album, but Shaw and Blades consistently nail it, nothing quirky here – just great old songs. The album’s a great sing along compilation – might be good taking your iPod into the shower and belting them out on your own – and, in performance, Shaw –Blades musicianship and harmonies simply shine.

Click to Download Influence from Amazon.com

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Beneath This Gruff Exterior: John Hiatt & The Goners – For many, John Hiatt’s vocal style may be an acquired taste, but right off, Beneath This Gruff Exterior, shoves us around with “Uncommon Connection,” a stomping feisty track that will have some folks dancin’ around the tap room. John’s voice won’t win any singing contests, but there’s something real and solid about it, like roughed-in lumber – you gotta have it sometimes, but it ain’t always all that pretty. But, pretty enough to gather Hiatt 11 Grammy nominations for his gut level songs.

Highlights here are the rompin’ stompin’ “Circle Back,” the tender “My Dog and Me,” the cool swagger of “Window of The World,” the turgid bluesy “The Last Thing”…I’d better stop here. I gave the album another hard listen and figured out that I like all of the tracks. Hiatt’s an original and the price we pay for that is listening again and again, until we finally catch up with him and “get it.”

Click to Download Beneath This Gruff Exterior from Amazon.com

Little Criminals: Randy Newman – We all already know that Randy Newman is some kind of genius. The guy can write a song that can squeeze the life out of you or wrap around you like a big charming bear hug. His 1977 hit “Short People” starts this album. It’s a song Randy once referred to as “a joke,” but one that people seemed to like.

But, for my taste, Newman only hits his stride when he writes churlish bits and street level lyrics, like in “You Can’t Fool the Fat Man,” “In Germany Before the War” and the sadly impressionable “Baltimore,” with it’s perfect lyrics – yeah, perfect. Newman’s talent, or formidable knack, for writing grimy, intelligent, foreboding songs, as well as the occasional good humor songs – think, “I Love L.A.” – warrant his inclusion as a national treasure.

Click to Download Little Criminals from Amazon.com

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