Lincoln Durham, The Shovel vs. the Howling Bones (2012, CD)

I’m not sure where I first caught sound of Durham, but I was instantly hooked by the combination of his gravelly voice and the twangy guitars. So captivated in fact that I purchased the album new with 2-day shipping so that I could get my next fix as soon as possible. Needless to say, I wasn’t disappointed as this album kicks from the opening drumbeats on Drifting Wood to the more melancholy laments on “Clementine” and “Trucker’s Love Song.” 


I’m still trying to figure out the meaning of the title, but it’s clear that the sound, thematic elements and overall mystique about Durham work together as a whole. Now if he’d only tour outside of Texas! I also hear that he’s come out with a new album, Exodus of the Deemed Unrighteous, which is already on my wishlist.

This one definitely goes Topshelf! 8 stars!

Audra Mae and the Almighty Sound (2012, CD)

Not sure what to say about this album, except that every time I sit to listen to one or two tunes I wind up playing the whole thing. Okay, so I can say a lot about it - it rocks and in a wonderfully multi-dimensional way. The literal heart, soul and driving force is the voice of Audra Mae, a native Oklahoman and blood-relative of Judy Garland. Her sound is reminiscent of Joan Osbourne and Amy Winehouse but fully her own as well. It also seems as though she’s quiet the songwriter both for her own work as well as for others (including a number of Euro-tunes... not something you’d initially expect coming out of Oklahoma). All this is not to say that the Almighty Sounds are a bunch of slouches. Their instrumentation is tight along with their backing ooohs, aaahs and grunts. I’ll put my only critique up front, which really isn’t a critique. Audra Mae’s voice takes such center stage, that one is left wondering what else the band can do.

“The Real Thing,” which opens the album, as well as “Jebediah Moonshine’s Friday Night Shack Party” really get things swinging, and the rest of the album doesn’t let up all that much. As mentioned the songwriting is strong and I thoroughly enjoy following the storyline through songs like “Ne’er Do Wells,” “My Friend Devil,” “I’m a Diamond” and “Two Melodies.” As a rule I also anticipate that there will be a few duds on an album that can easily be skipped over, as nothing’s ever perfect. Here I immediately centered on those songs that seemed to overly typify other famous songs. “Little Red Wagon” sounds like a children’s ditty, while connections seemed obvious between “Smokin’s the Boys” with Motley Crue and “...Friday Night Shack Party” with the B52s. Yet somehow they moved up and beyond the cliches of those allusions, and excelled in their own right. Something in me wanted not to like those songs, but I did in spite of myself.

Rating: This album is topshelf (8.5 stars, desert island, pick your term). I can’t say much else, beside take it for a spin.

Rodrigo and Gabriela, Live: Manchester and Dublin (2004, CD)

Okay this is going really slow... It’s not that I’m not listening to albums, but it’s that I’m not writing anything down (or over analyzing and then avoiding what I do jot down). But here goes...

Rodrigo and Gabriela are a guitar duo that I stumbled across not too long ago and have started collecting all of their live albums. With their energy and intensity, I’m not sure what a studio album would be like nor do I feel the need to try at this point.

This time around I took a deep dive on Live: Manchester and Dublin, which includes tracks from shows recorded in 2003 and 2004. "FOC," the first track, starts out strong with a driving pace. About 4 minutes in, guitar playing gives way to (guitar) drumming which itself is quite dynamic and contributes to the frenetic energy. The intro into the second song, "One/Take Five," provides a hint of an underriding facet to the album: Rodrigo and Gabriela used to play in a hardcore band which is telling in the way they play their acoustic guitars. Very appropriate on this song which is a medley of Metallica’s One and David Brubeck’s Take Five. While one might fear that this combination would end in disaster, R&G make the song their own. Much of the guitar work is reminiscent of the heavy metal genre, yet the length and composition also provide a return to many of the motifs throughout the song, which reminds me more of a jazz construct.

The second set of songs from the Dublin show add violins to the mix, which I find especially interesting on "Paris" and "One" (a reprise of the Metallica song, but different enough from the Manchester medley to be worthwhile). This final track may also be my favorite from the album. 

Overall I think this is a great album, if seemingly a bit short given the limited number of tracks from each show. Technically, I love their guitar playing and their collaboration with the violinists. Taken as a whole, the only criticism that I’ll add is that if one listens obtusely then it can start sounding the same. The individual guitar pyrotechnics give way to a general increase in energy and sometimes tempo throughout the song - the crescendo - ending in a blaze of stringwork. Looked at another way, it’s fun to see how R&G are manipulating energy pulsing in and out, letting it build until a final release. It certainly gets my adrenalin going.

Rating: I’m still not sure which live set by Rodrigo and Gabriela qualifies as my favorite. For now I give this 7.5 nods of the head, knowing that at least one of their albums will be on my top shelf.
Sources: CD

Joan Osborne, Bring It on Home (2012, FLAC)

Honestly, I was not intending to start my reviews with this album but an extended visit by the inlaws (in the bedroom next to my system) forced my late night listening over to my headphones and digital files. So I went for a hi-res digital download of Joan Osborne’s Bring It on Home (44.1/24). My initial hope was to start with her Early Recordings album but alas that will have to wait.

Osborne’s voice first struck me when watching the DVD Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Lots of power like Janis Joplin but combined with a bit more finesse as well as a touch of rasp. Also a voice that lurks in my brain with an association to some cheesy pop song played at weddings – not sure if that’s true but it speaks to a potential to go mainstream pop/R&B vs. something a bit more original and soulful.

For this album, which basically includes covers of various blues/soul songs, the opening tune “I don’t need no doctor” moves, grooves and for me is the strongest of the bunch. “Bring it on home” changes in tempo to a more bluesy style with Osborne’s voice taking on a more sultry tone, accompanied by cool riffs from the harmonica and bass guitar. Lack of liner notes with the digital downloads leaves no room for providing additional context (or information), but does prompt more attentive listening.

Skipping through my notes, I definitely tuned into the backing instruments: again the harmonica as well as piano, a tenor sax and Hammond B3 (??), a nice combo if I’ve identified them correctly. Her cover of Bill Wither’s “The same love that made me want to laugh” would be great if Bill Withers hadn’t already done the song (a tough act to follow, which raises the perpetual question of trying to cover existing excellence). “Shake,” a song which takes on a cowboy, honky-tonk twang was probably my least favorite and even had me itching for the remote, but I persisted. “I’m qualified” would be a good close as it brings back the drive that opened the album, however from thereon, including the appended bonus tracks, it’s increasingly unable to close with a bang. (What is it about bonus tracks these days… it’s not really a space issue... is it a quality/making the grade issue?)

While this isn’t an over the top rave review, the album is still good and has decent sonic merit – not overly lush, maybe a touch dry but accurate recording and reproduction. Where it suffers is from my expectation of wanting something like Early Recordings. Granted Recordings includes live performances, which benefit from a great combination of energy and good tunes that carries through the entire album. Bring It on Home has its gems in a few tracks as well as the backing band, but by comparison doesn’t get it all the way home.

Rating: So I’ll give it 5 nods of the head on my ten point scale.

Source: Digital download (44.1kHz/24bit) [note: does not include liner notes]

Do we need another music blog?

Do we need another music blog? When I set out upon this endeavor, I confess that I underestimated the number of music blogs out there. I thought that there would be a lot, but I was still off by orders of magnitude. If you're not familiar with the genre, even the number of music blog aggregators (that identify and categorize individual blogs) is staggering and aggregating the aggregators itself could be a worthy task. With that as context, the question about need for another music blog appears ridiculous at best. So I'll take the easy way out and shift the question to the raison d'etre for Spins365.

I've always loved music (stroke the harps and strum the guitars), and in the past took great pains to curate and share this passion through mixed tapes and CDs (yes, I'm showing my age). But in recent years, I set off down the audiophile path. Aiming for the perfect system and the divinity of musical reproduction, I lost target of the music itself spending money hand over fist on constant upgrades. Taking a step back, I'm trying to regain a little perspective on this 'hobby' (as well as the rest of my life... but that's another story). So how to up the musical ante in my life in a way that allows me to connect with others (thereby sharing my findings and hopefully gleaning leads on good tunes from others).

A blog... that seems to be the answer to many a self-help endeavor, find my identity/true path in life question. But not just any blog (no it never is, you need a unique hook).

The goal: listen to an album (or some semblance thereof) every day and opine thereupon.

And so I shall. A few final comments on my musical predelictions. I have widespread and eclectic tastes - some deeper than others: jazz, "world" and indie are in my loop. Opera, classical and electronica reveal a significant lack of personal depth (which doesn't denote a lack of interest). Most pop radio/top 100 get a wide berth. Given my history, I'm also sensitive to sonics and recording quality particularly where it significantly impacts the aural experience. While I won't get into the fashionable debates over compression and dynamic range, I will try to provide some reflection on sound quality.

I'm not 100% how these reviews will go, but I don't anticipate they will be the standard fare that you find on Amazon and elsewhere. They may also drift into personal philosophy or meanderings (remember this is a self-help exercise) so be forewarned.

Finally, I welcome feedback and suggestions, particularly as the tale unfolding in these posts will give you a sense of my musical tastes.