NEW MUSIC FRIDAY - The Graffiti Edition

 



 

            Hey everybody and welcome to The Graffiti Edition of New Music Friday - Good Graffiti should always carry a positive message - as with the above words scrolled somewhere on walls of Joe Rogaine’s office. Speaking of the senseless controversy stirred up publicists last week, does anyone get the idea that Neil Young has a new album out??? Best publicity is controversy, and NO ONE knows that better than Mr. Young - well, maybe S***ify and Shecky Rogaine do now, but I’ll bet it’s a lesson lost. Neil Young -with his band, Crazy Horse released the album/CD/cassette - Barn [Reprise] as mentioned last week, right here.  It’s the same old angry Neil (now 75) and Crazy Horse has never sounded better - running the range from rage - “Change Ain’t Never Gonna’ - to soft with - “Welcome Back “.  Available everywhere (except S***ify) even Sirius/XM has re-launched their Neil Young Channel.   There’s new music from those soulful boys from Birmingham, St Paul & the Broken Bones - their best 2014’s Half the City.  The Alien Coast [ATO] shows amazing growth, moving toward a smoother old school soul sound, - and while there is always room for more old school soul, I think I’m gonna miss the blue-eyed R&B that they first knocked me out with. We already have Silk Sonic - we need more white-boy funk.  Which leads me to my favorite for the week, my buddies Luther and Cody Dickinson’s latest NMA offering.  Raised in the blues and Memphis Soul tradition of North Mississippi, the North Mississippi Allstars have always blended blues with urban and jam band sensibilities - going off to do their own projects, then coming to their ever-evolving home.  The new CD - SET SAIL [New West] - is the boldest evolution of NMA sound yet. With the addition of Jess Williams on bass (replacing founding bassist Chris Chew), Lamar Williams Jr (son of The Allman Brothers’ Lamar Sr) sharing vocal with Luther, this is Memphis soul without alienating their fan base.  STAX Records icon William Bell takes a spin at vocals on “Never Want to Be Kissed.”  The CD also introduces the third generation of the Dickinson talent pool, as Lucia and Isla Belle - Luther’s daughters add background vocals on “Authentic” and “Didn’t We Have a Time.”  This is a MUST BUY - fan (oh hell yeah) or not (you will be) this album has something for everybody.  Just hope the pandemic eases to let the boys back on the road, so I can tell ‘em in person. Now, go find this and listen. Peace!!

 



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