Transmit Sound
First there was “Songs of Sahm,” a tribute by the Bottle Rockets recorded in 2001, a few years after Doug Sahm’s passing at age 58. Then there was “Keep Your Soul,” a 2009 various-artist tribute corralling such peers as Los Lobos, Dave Alvin, Delbert McClinton and Jimmy Vaughan. One could even make a case for including Dr. Eugene Chadbourne’s pair of “Texas Sessions” (2000 and 2002), with the caveat that they weren’t exclusively devoted to Sahm songs.
Regional
Yes, that really is a pedal steel guitar conveying sadness over the “Death of a Clown.” Even more amazing is Andrew and David Williams’ blood-harmony presentation of said song, Dave Davies’ 1967 solo debut single. But the real kicker is that this magnificent “new” album was recorded in 1995, taking more than 27 years to see the light of day.
Booda Lee
Crackerjack slide guitarist Dennis Johnson continues to venture outside of his roots-oriented comfort zone, this time for a smooth set of mostly blues-rock that’s heavy on tone, articulation and groove.
Rebel
Peter Rowan continues distilling his mostly bluegrass essence on “Calling You From My Mountain,” his second studio release for the venerable Rebel Records label.
Crows Feet
Sometimes an album just fires on all cylinders: singing, songwriting, instrumentation and engineering. That’s precisely what Jack Broadbent has achieved with his fifth full-length album.
