July 1, 2009

True Blood: Music from the HBO Original Series
Red House RHR CD 216
Format: CD

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True Blood, the Louisiana gothic series about vampires in the Deep South, has been a runaway hit for HBO. Everyone seems to love stories about the fanged ones, and having the story set in modern times, with liberal dashes of sex, intolerance, and redneck romance, hasn’t hurt a bit. Creator Arthur Ball claims he found the title song, Jace Everett’s "Bad Things," by taking an expensive iTunes break, and the rest just fell into place. The end credits of each episode use music to make a statement. And since the story is set in Louisiana, it’s no surprise that the music is what we might hear there, either at Sam Merlotte’s roadhouse bar, where townsfolk gather and gossip, or at the (slightly) more sophisticated Vampire Bar Fangoria in a neighboring town. It’s Bayou jambalaya peppered with contemporary spice, where Doctor John ("I Don’t Wanna Know") and Allen Toussaint ("From a Whisper to a Scream") meet C. Adcock and the Lafayette Marquis ("Bleed to Feed") and Cobra Verde’s cover of the Stones’ "Play with Fire." I usually dislike compilation albums because they mix too many styles, but this one is a good listen, provided you’re in the mood for swamp blues and boogie. Each track sounds as though it’s been remastered, but the sound will give your midrange speakers a good workout while sending enough thumping bass through your woofers to have you tapping your feet or fingers. That said, your high-frequency drivers might feel cheated. By the way, I found that this CD makes a perfect summertime title for the car. . . . Rad Bennett

Del Castillo: Del Castillo
Smilin’ Castle Records SCR-9108
Format: CD

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Overall Enjoyment

Del Castillo is an Austin-based band named for the two brothers whose acoustic nylon-string guitars are the core of the band’s sound. Rick and Mark del Castillo are exciting and passionate guitarists who sometimes solo in tandem a la the Allman Brothers, but this band plays strictly Latin music. Mike Zeoli on drums and Albert Besteiro on bass inject enough rock feeling to give Del Castillo crossover appeal, but the group hasn’t made any concessions to mainstream pop. Del Castillo is the band’s fourth release since it formed in 2000, and they’ve built a solid following that includes filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, both of whom have used Del Castillo’s music in their films. Rodriquez directed the band’s live DVD, which is available through their website. Fronting Del Castillo is vocalist Alex Ruiz, who writes the band’s lyrics. Ruiz is a charismatic singer with an impressive range, and he keeps the music centered and accessible. His voice and spirited performance on "Everlasting," "Noche Brava," and, especially, "Anybody Wanna" give the songs their commercial potential, but they retain a strong Latin feel. Rick and Mark del Castillo recorded Del Castillo, which Rick also mixed and mastered. The disc is a bit compressed and I would have preferred more air around the percussion, but it has a lot of drive and a good pace. Overall, Del Castillo is a very enjoyable and well played disc of Latin rock. . . . Joseph Taylor

Louisiana Red: Back to the Black Bayou
Ruf Records/Bluestown Records RUF 1149
Format: CD

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Three songs into Louisiana Red’s new disc, Back to the Black Bayou, you get a reminder of how powerful the blues are when a musician plays from the heart. "Crime in Motion" opens with Red tearing off a slide guitar riff through a tube amp pushed as loud as it can go -- it sounds like it might shake apart at any minute. Red snarls the lyrics, and at no point does he sound like a kid trying to be tough. The band kicks hard behind him, with Dave Maxwell pounding out a rollicking barrelhouse piano. Blues guitarist Little Victor produced Back to the Black Bayou, and the disc has the warmth and honesty of the great blues recordings of the 1950s. Louisiana Red recorded Back to the Black Bayou at Juke Joint Studios in Norway. The studio prides itself on being an "intact vintage recording studio," and the result heard on this disc is the reassuring sound of vintage tube equipment and analog tape. These musicians know exactly how to play this music, and the recording engineer has captured the feel of smoke-filled bars that the blues once thrived on. Louisiana Red wrote or co-wrote all the tunes here, and many of them are songs he’s cut before. Little Victor and the other musicians on the disc, Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds among them, obviously have great reverence for this music, but it never sounds rehashed or stiff. There’s nothing here you haven’t heard before. It’s just been a long time since you’ve heard anyone do it as well as Louisiana Red. . . . Joseph Taylor

Jesse Winchester: Love Filling Station
Appleseed APR CD 1116
Format: CD

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Full arrangements with deep bass, soaring electric keyboard and fiddle, and lap steel by virtuoso Jerry Douglas characterize the latest album by 2007 ASCAP Lifetime Achievement Award-recipient Jesse Winchester. Winchester’s voice holds up robustly and expressively after four decades of recording. Listeners familiar with "Brand New Tennessee Waltz," "Biloxi," "Yankee Lady," and other much-recorded songs by the veteran will find his first album in a decade a rich adventure, starting with the soft, catchy reggae original "O What a Thrill." "Bless Your Foolish Heart" and "Wear Me Out" are humorous, touching and self-effacing, the former showing the singer’s surprise that his lover stays with him, the latter lamenting the difficulty of keeping up with her sexually. Nine of the 12 tracks are by Winchester, and the other three are perfect fits for the soft-rock collection’s wide range of rhythms, tempos, and melodies. The variety of Winchester’s compelling stories helps to explain his enduring success as a first-rate singer-songwriter. Factor in a recording that brings out all of the nuances of the fine playing and singing, and you could hardly wish for more. . . . David Cantor

Mr. Lif: I Heard It Today
Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises B001ZN0JYS
Format: CD

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Boston hip-hop MC Mr. Lif released his third studio album, I Heard It Today, in April of this year. In typical Lif fashion, the disc explores a bevy of politically and socially charged issues, from the current housing crisis and industry bailouts to police brutality, fear, and hunger. Lif, whose real name is Jeffrey Haynes, rhymes with a flourished verbal style and rocks his signature monstrous dreadlocks, but it’s the conviction of his beliefs that elevates his music to worthwhile, intelligent social commentary rather than the overexposed money/guns/women obsessions of most rappers. Throughout the disc, the rapper asks the listener to reflect on the current state of affairs. During the previous eight years, Mr. Lif was known for voicing his disapproval of the Bush administration and his criticism of the Iraq war, yet despite a new administration and the "hope" it’s inspired, he hasn’t fallen starry eyed for a savior just yet. He still cautions that the US government is operating more for the corporations than for the people, and many of the songs on his latest disc ask tough questions about government spending and who could really use a "bailout." "Welcome to the World" and "Head High" are two of the strongest tracks, as well as "Breathe," which features guest MC Bahamadia and showcases both lyricists in top form. The beats backing the rhymes are bass-heavy but simple in form and transparent enough not to muddy the message. Despite his notoriety for pointing out corruption and greed, Lif does occasionally deliver positivity, particularly in the two uplifting tracks that close out the album. "The Sun" and "Dawn" offer a silver lining, so to speak, for his otherwise imminent storm cloud. If you like underground hip hop and politically charged rap, check out Lif’s latest. He’s still slaying the beast, and I’m still rooting him on. . . . Shannon Holliday