THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME (NEW RELEASES) By Michael McDowell

I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART: Composer, vocalist and Pennsylvania native TAYLOR SWIFT has taken the cerebral approach to the subject of unrequited love to the next level in her latest Republic Records release, The Tortured Poets Department.  Editor / Publisher Michael McDowell takes a closer look below. (Click on above image to enlaarge).

CDs AND VINYL - NEW RELEASES

(REVIEWS ARE POSTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY ARTIST)

11X11 -

The Eleven Guys Quartet

(VizzTone)

Credit certainly has to be given to Eleven Guys Quartet harmonica man, Richard Rosenblatt for taking the unwavering resolve approach to the next level.

As the head of the VizzTone label, Rosenblatt oversees an artist roster comprised of dozens of uncompromisingly hardcore blues artists. In some cases, that extreme purist approach has hampered to an extent any overtures of solidarity from those on the periphery of that perspective. Nonetheless, it has rallied the faithful to the point that for all practical purposes, VizzTone remains the present day go to souce for the mission statement at large.

Rosenblatt's inspiration in that respect stems in part from his own lengthy experience as a musician. To that effect, the Eleven Guys Quartet has persevered since the 1980s, providing for all practical purposes the template on which many of his artists have based their own visions.

With 11X11, the band's first release since 2020, the Eleven Guys Quartet again showcases their command of the bombastic instrumental. To that effect, the opening track, Lightning Road draws from the Rolling Stones' fundamental take on Bo Diddley's Mona, albeit with a much crisper mix than that afforded the 1964 rendition on the Rolling Stones' England's Newest Hitmakers album for London.

In turn, Jokers Blues takes a cue from Canned Heat's playful interpretation of Hambone Willie Newburn's 1929 signature single, Rollin' And Tumblin' and adds a bit more bounce to the beat by executing in straight 4/4 at mid-tempo. Likewise, He Ain't Got You serves as a fitting answer song of sorts to Billy Boy Arnold's I Ain't Got You by adding to Arnold's cerebral perspective the instrumentally ambitious dressing afforded the 1965 interpretation by the Yardbirds. 

Those embellishments serve the Eleven Guys Quartet well throughout this collection, enabling them to persevere with their vision intact, while concurrently finding those much needed professions of solidarity from others along the way. In the words of this album's closing track, such are the benefits of Rockin' The Blues.

LIVE IN AUSTIN, VOLUME ONE -

Sue Foley

(Guitar Woman)

Many who champion the blues often find themselves at the Crossroads of which Robert Johnson sang. How many of them actually enter that intersection is a different matter. 

As was long the case with such musical forms as vocal group harmony and first generation garage rock, the present day incarnation of the blues finds itself with a hardcore audience that devotes the bulk of its attention to its genre of choice; defering outside of those parameters only upon rare occasion. Such methodology invariably serves to strengthen the resolve of the most resolute, while minimalizing crossover potential (from both outside and inside) in the process.

For vocalist, composer, guitar virtuoso and Ottawa, Ontario native Sue Foley, those options have prompted a bit of defensive driving. While Foley has retained her position on center stage within the movement since relocating to Texas some years ago, she has (as her signature single, New Used Car -- reprised here -- underscores) done so by approaching the crossroads with a more proactive than average awareness of the innate limitations of the form.

As such, with Live In Austin, Volume One, Foley has opted to downplay the bombast common to the works of a number of her peers in favor of highlighting some of the subtle attributes that are often afforded secondary status in pursuit of the perceived audience prerequisite of bravado. 

Not that Foley is incapable of delivering in that respect. Indeed, much of her catalog to date showcases her mastery of such technique. But as an artist with enough insight to proactively transcend the limitations of the genre, she astutely opted to take to the stage in relatively subdued fashion here.  

To that effect, Highwayside is more of a celebration of the tried and true verse, chorus and bridge template, rather than the one/two punch straight out of the gate methodology that the fatihful have taken for granted. In turn, her variations on a theme by Slim Harpo (Queen Bee) are not so much an answer of sorts as an opportunity to turn the familiar twelve-bar motif into a romp that defers out of respect while not necessarily acquiescing out of perceived necessity. Foley drives the overall point home with an inspired take on Bob Dylan's late September 1965 signature single, Positively Fourth Street.

By testing the parameters of the template at hand, Foley has taken decisive steps towards meeting the crosstown traffic at the crossroads. In a genre in which thinking outside of the box is rarely addressed (if not discouraged), she has reaffirmed her front runner status by (in the words of one of this collection's standout tracks) doing so a little bit Better than the rest.

RESURRECTION -

Brian Gari

(Original Cast)

Freddy Cannon was a relentless perfectionist.

To that effect, the beloved pioneering rocker often insisted upon precision in terms of delivery from the various pick up bands that he worked with in live performances. Cannon was known to literally stop the band in mid-set to correct and/or improve upon certain passages in his generally exuberant material that were not being executed to his satisfaction. 

But off stage, Cannon's intense perfectionism was countered by a relatively more genial approach. That attribute served to make him a most welcome presence in various social gatherings and industry functions. 

Conversely, composer and vocalist Brian Gari has in recent years presented a wealth of original material with each successive release that by its nature suggests a more genial and wistful approach to the recording process. Yet that seemingly elusive attribute likewise came about with a painstaking attention to detail that would have met with Freddy Cannon's satisfaction. This latest  offering is no exception. 

As was the case with Gari's most recent releases (such as his acclaimed Expose Yourself album), Resurrection is comprised primarily of original material that finds its niche in an idyllic, Camelot-like setting. The overall mood is not so much one of escapism as it is the firm resolve of its creator to create and flourish in that capacity.

To wit, Gari herein takes the variety is the spice of life perspective. From the Jerry Lee Lewis-inspired You're Too Much To Take to the cavalier atmosphere of latter day Doobie Brothers found in I Can't Figure Out (What You're Doin' With Me), Gari glides between genres with ease. 

In turn, unrequited love (a recurring theme in Gari's work) is once again on display in matter of fact fashion ("Maybe I'm out of my league") in Way Off Base. Likewise, the plaintive Remains To Be Seen showcases the realization of resignation to the inevitable from the perspective of one who has taken the unrequited road for too long.

Not that Resurrection is bereft of a light at the end of the tunnel perspective, if not full blown relentless optimism. To that effect, the Vaudeville through the eyes of Harpers Bizarre novelty, We Just Gotta Stop Sometime serves that purpose as well as providing a nod of sorts to Gari's legendary grandfather, the late Eddie Cantor. The Perfect Other Half Of Me takes it a step further, with universal nods to the waitressing profession and composer/vocalist Cyndi Lauper. Gari's wife Jeanne brings the proceedings full circle as a duet with her husband in the wide eyed optimism of You Can Dance.

To be certain, Resurrection would make an ideal showpiece for the annual Record Store Day holiday, although Gari said that no such plans are in the works.

"Not that I know of", he said. 

Nonetheless, as was the case with his previous releases, Resurrection makes for an ideal addition to the discerning musicologist's archives. In the words of one of the standout tracks on Gari's aforementioned Expose Yourself album, Resurrection is a magnificent effort that will inspire one and all to Think Again.

ARE YOU SURE YOU THREE GUYS

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING? -

Mike Jones, Penn Jillette And Jeff Hamilton

(Capri)

The legendary Hank Williams excelled at stand up comedy. Late in his career, veteran actor Buddy Ebsen briefy pursued a long time desire to be a rockabilly musician. Actor Phil Silvers once collaborated with orchestra leader Nelson Riddle on a thematic instrumental album for Columbia. Jiles Perry "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Waylon Jennings were both radio announcers. Pearl Bailey and Jerry Butler enjoyed productive careers in politics. And Barry Manilow and Elvis Presley each briefly worked as delivery truck drivers. 

Facts such as these often bring "wow" emoji responses from some among the rank and file. Such observers often struggle to come to terms with the idea of the subjects of their interest being involved in any other field besides the ones in which they happened to first encounter their work. 

Invariably, such linear thinking underscores the reasoning as to why artists such as those alluded to above remain on center stage, while the observers with limited expectations either cannot or will not take the crucial step of thinking outside of the box. As such, they often remain in the capacity of armchair quarterbacks in a perpetual state of disenfranchisement and (in some cases) disdain. 

The world of jazz has produced a wealth of keyboard virtuosos over the past century. The works of Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey, Leroy Carr, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, JoAnn Castle and Ramsey Lewis (among others) have served to raise the bar for the instrument exponentially, with many drawing their own inspiration from them.

One such pianist is Buffalo, New York native and veteran session musician, Mike Jones. He continues to perform live and record prolifically, with an impressive catalog of releases on Chiaroscuro and Capri to his credit. 

For this current project (which celebrates a rich variety of standards), it stood to reason that Jones would opt to collaborate with a rhythm section that both shared his vision and possessed the ability to execute it accordingly. Enter drummer and Richmond, Indiana native Jeff Hamilton, who has amassed his own impressive track record via collaborations with Monty Alexander, Woody Herman, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Diana Krall, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and others. 

Nonetheless, in rounding out the equation, it is likely that the aforementioned armchair quarterbacks will again be poised with their index fingers hovering over the "wow" emoji option.

Bringing the trio full circle is the Greenfield, Massachusetts-born veteran magician, author and one time Dancing With The Stars contestant, Penn Fraser Jillette. Among other things, Jillette has not been one to take a cavalier or passive role in any proceedings when he is assured of his convictions.

To wit, around the turn of the previous century, Jillette prompted a hearty vocal "wow" emoji of sorts from the studio audience during a guest appearance on Donny and Marie Osmond's syndicated television series, Donny And Marie. Therein, Jillette briefly derailed the momentum of the conversation by candidly yet rightfully bringing to hostess Olive Marie Osmond's attention that the new millennium at hand began with the year 2001, not 2000. 

Given his tenacity, it stood to reason that Jillette's participation in this project would sit well with all concerned. To that effect, Jones has served since 2002 as musical director for Jillette's Las Vegas, Nevada-based Penn And Teller magic show with Raymond Joseph Teller. To that effect, it was in part with Jones' ongoing encouragement that Teller opted to learn to play the stand up bass twenty years ago, at the age of 48. 

However, Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You're Doing? is not Jones and Jillette's first musical collaboration. The two of them had made a test run in that capacity in 2018 on Jones' The Show Before The Show album for Capri. As a result, both were duly encouraged to persevere with the project at hand. 

The album opens with George and Ira Gershwin's often covered 1927 composition, 'S Wonderful. Subsequent renditions such as the lavishly orchestrated score recorded by the visionary arranger and conductor Ray Conniff for Columbia in 1956 have more often than not characterized the piece. Even so, 'S Wonderful works just as well within the relatively sparse arrangement at hand, with Jones, Jillette and Hamilton doing musical stretch warm ups to set the stage for the individual workouts to follow.

Happily, all three participants are afforded opportunities herein to soar accordingly. They do so most inspiringly on such ambitious fare as Sonny Rollins' Doxy, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra's On Green Dolphin Street, Duke Ellington's Perdido and Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto's signature 45 for Verve, The Girl From Ipanema. The proceedings are brought to a most inspired conclusion with Jones' original composition, Blues For Burns.

Indeed, there is probably little reason to suggest that the project at hand will prompt the aforementioned armchair quarterbacks to approach such endeavors from a wider perspective. Nonetheless, those who have opted to follow Funkadelic's July 1970 mandate to Free Your Mind will embrace this collection for the ambitious and engaging endeavor that it is. In the words of the 1964 Michel Legrand composition that provides one of the highlights of this collection, take that crucial step and Watch What Happens.

HIGH FIDELITY -

Jeremy Morris (JAM)

There are a number of reasons why Jeremy Morris has for years been the most logical successor to the late James Brown's "Hardest Working Man In Show Business" title.

With a work ethic that staggers the imagination, the Portage, Michigan - based Morris has for decades deftly balanced his responsibilities as composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, label president, pastor and family man. In turn, his catalog includes dozens of solo albums and collaborations that run the gamut from Gospel and prog rock to garage rock and psychedelia.

Moreover, Morris has released more than a dozen albums of all new material in the last three years alone. They include 2021's Road To Zion, Live For Today and Distant Dream, as well as 2022's Brighter Day, A Wonderful Surprise, The Day The World Stood Still and From Here To Eternity (which features an utterly stupendous reimagination of the Lemon Pipers' late 1967 signature single, Green Tambourine). 

True to form, his pace has not slowed down in the current year to date. Morris kicked off 2023 with The First Ten Years, a retrospective of the best material of his acclaimed side project, the Lemon Clocks. The mesmerizing A Better Life album followed suit, featuring such captivating originals as My True Colors and Bad Banana.

To be certain, that release schedule would tax the creative juices and capabilities of the most capable. Nonetheless, the relentlessly optimistic Morris was not through with 2023 yet.

"This year, I also released a CD called Bright Side Of The Sun", he said.

"And High Fidelity".

Issued in October, High Fidelity is of particular interest to long time readers of Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People. Among the album's inspired dozen originals is I Am With You Always, which sports an inspired, guitar-centric arrangement that takes its cue (however unintentionally) from Herman's Hermits' monster classic Heart Get Ready For Love single. 

That 1978 release on the great Morris Levy's Roulette label ultimately won top honors from Blitz Magazine as Best Single Of The 1970s. Those who drew inspiration from Frank Renshaw and the late Derek Leckenby's guitar interplay on that landmark single will find much to their liking in the High Fidelity album, from the full on jangle of the title track to the mid-tempo, Gospel-rich God's Glue.

With such a wealth of recorded activity to his credit, Jeremy Morris continues to raise the bar on a variety of levels. Nonetheless, as he underscored in a recent message based on I Peter 3:9, we are Called To Be A Blessing. Suffice to say that in that respect, to invoke the words of a standout track from his The Day The World Stood Still album, Morris has consistently done so with Grace Under Pressure.

NO WAR / NO WAR (ALTERNATE MIX) -

Wally Palmar And Jack de Keyzer (Spider)

Record hunting has been known to provide long term dividends.

At the record collectors conventions hosted by the late Stu Shapiro in suburban Detroit during the mid to late 1970s, two of the regular clientele were the aspiring musicans Mike Skill and Wally Palmar. While each had their own individual preferences, both professed an interest in procuring records by the Dave Clark Five. 

In due course, Skill and Palmar (along with Jimmy Marinos and Rich Cole) formed the Romantics, whose straight ahead original material for the Spider, Bomp and Nemperor labels drew in part from the inspiration of the Dave Clark Five in more ways than one. Most notably, the Romantics (however unintentionally) followed the Dave Clark Five's lead in keeping their uptempo material dressed in timeless lyrics that addressed the basics of the everyday human experience. 

In the rare instances when the Dave Clark Five leaned towards more topical material, it was done either with tongue-in-cheek (their playful swipe at the hippie movement and a certain Liverpool quartet, as found in their Live In The Sky single) or with an outspoken call to arms perspective (their 1971 definitive rendiition of Neil Young's Southern Man).

For the Romantics, it wasn't so much an aversion to the topical approach as it was being certain to align with the right cause. For front man Wally Palmar, that cause was (and is) the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

Joining forces herein with Palmar is the Toronto, Ontario-based composer, guitarist and vocalist, Jack de Keyzer, whose acclaimed releases for Blue Star have been celebrated in Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People over the years. Their resultant No War single and video have made for a most impassioned commentary on that ongoing tragedy. 

On the plus side, the 45 is a homecoming of sorts for Palmar. With its release, long time Romantics manager Arnie Tencer has reactivated the Spider label, whose initial release was the band's 1977 Little White Lies / I Can't Tell You Anything single, which was issued in two different versions. 

In turn, the single's picture sleeve was designed by original Blitz Magazine Art Director, Dennis Loren, whose work has graced counless album covers and posters throughout the past five decades. No War is also available in traditional black vinyl, as well as in limited edition yellow vinyl and blue vinyl, reflecting the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

"Wally and I are planning on a lot more releases", said Tencer.

"We are transfering a lot of old tapes to digital. I have early Romatics. I even have pre-Romantics, going back to 1974".

Indeed, if the sentiments expressed within No War bear fruit, the release of that archival material will most assuredly be cause for celebration.

THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT -

Taylor Swift (Republic)

"I love you, it's ruining my life".

That lyrical excerpt, taken from the opening track, Fortnight and reproduced on the back cover of this album, provides a pertinent clue as to why composer, vocalist and West Reading, Pennsylvania native Taylor Alison Swift has enjoyed massive and sustained acclaim for nearly two decades.

Few experiences resonate with such cut to the heart universal appeal as does the subject of unrequited love. The legendary Hank Williams was among the first to build a musical legacy with that attribute as a recurring focal point, as evidenced in such enduring masterpieces as Moanin' The Blues, Cold Cold Heart, Why Don't You Love Me and Lowdown Blues.

In the present day setting, Swift articulates that resultant despair with savvy and discernment to the degree that it resonates with her faithful in like manner. Given the persistent proclamations from various media sources that despondency and hopelessness persist at record levels in society at large, Swift has found herself in a de facto authoritative position in that respect. 

The prevailing mood throughout this two LP / single CD set is not so much a series of related verse, chorus and bridge essays as it is one of ongoing conversation. To wit, in the title track, Swift looks for common ground with her antagonist, citing solidarity with such proven wordsmiths as Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith. Curiously therein, she alludes to an amenable response in terms of symbols such as wedding rings. Curious in that in Lavender Haze from her Midnights album blanketly dismissed such periphery as "that 1950s s---". Ultimately, the fact that she reaches across the cultural divide with success suggests a welcome work in progress in that respect. 

As the saga progresses, touchstones run the gamut of the human experience, from the "my plastic smile" of My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys and the futile escapism of Florida!!! to the "Am I allowed to cry?" of Guilty As Sin and "I want to snarl and show you how disturbed this has made me" of the somewhat disarming Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me? 

To her considerable credit, the frequent use of the so-called four letter word that found its way into most of the material on Midnights has given way herein to a primarily cerebral approach. Not that The Tortured Poets Department is bereft of that characteristic; it simply avails itself primarily in Down Bad, with an occasional appearance throughout the remainder of the proceedings. The fact remains that a sizeable percentage of the Swift faithful can only draw from personal experience borne of a variation in societal basics, which suggests that such metholdology is no longer a subject of elevated concern as it was at the time when the likes of the Kingsmen, the Fugs and the MC5 each introduced it into their own work. 

Not surprisingly, first day sales of The Tortured Poets Department were brisk upon its 19 April release. A random sampling that afternoon of several Target Department Store locations (which has long maintained a successful business and marketing partnership with Swift) found inventory in both the CD and vinyl configurations either low or significantly depleted. As was the case with Midnights, cover variations and varying vinyl colors fueled the interest of Swifties, musicologists and collectors alike.

To be certain, The Tortured Poets Department showcases a veteran artist who is nonetheless unabashedly a work in progress, in terms of both her art and her ability to navigate and articulate the human experience. If indeed, as Swift herein suggests, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, then by extension, so can one and all.