4 search results for "tempchin"

Reviews: Jack Tempchin, Maura Rogers, Alvin Lee

 in Reviews

By Ken Paulson—
Catching up with recent and worthy releases:
The CD/DVD set Live at Tales From the Tavern captures Jack Tempchin performing some of his best-known songs and a few other quirky originals in front of an audience. Tempchin’s contributions to the Eagles catalog included “Already Gone” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling. He also wrote big hits with Glen Frey, including “The One You Love” and “You Belong to the City.” The best moments may be his rendition of “Slow Dancing” and “Amy,” an ode to infidelity with women of the same name. It’s a fun and intimate performance, and the stripped-down versions are often revealing.

A Good Heart Will Break, the new album from Maura Rogers and the Bellows, is an impressive outing from a promising young Americana band from Cleveland. The songwriting is particularly strong, with lyrics often disarming and real: “I miss your mouth, dear; do you miss my stubborn ways?” You’ll find their music here.

Alvin Lee left Ten Years After while the band was still in its prime, choosing to carve out his own musical path. That led to the well-regarded On the Road to Freedom collaboration with Mylon LeFevre in 1973, a project packed with superstar guests like George Harrison, Ron Wood and Steve Winwood.
Almost four decades on, Lee has released Still on the Road to Freedom. LeFevre and the star musicians are gone, but the independent streak continues. It’s a thematically varied, but consistently bluesy collection of songs, fueled by Lee’s underrated guitar work. Highlights: Listen to Your Radio,””Midnight Creeper” and the fifties-retro “I’m a Lucky Man.”

 

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Tin Pan South Festival: Jimmy Webb, Jack Tempchin and Felix Cavaliere

 in Nashville music, Reviews

Jimmy Webb

By Ken Paulson

–Tin Pan South is a weeklong festival in Nashville featuring fine songwriters and engaging songs, but there was no question that the event’s epicenter was at 3rd and Lindsley tonight, as pop and rock songwriting royalty performed.

Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals took the stage first, and he remains in astonishingly fine voice. He began with “It’s A Beautiful Morning” and closed with a rousing “People Got to Be Free,” filling his set with radio classics and a fine new song that inspired an audience sing-along.
Jack Tempchin’s hit list is not as deep, but he was very entertaining, reminiscing about the best year of the ‘60s (1972) and playing his Eagles cuts “Already Gone” and “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” plus the Johnny Rivers hit “Slow Dancin’”

The finale – and maybe the festival – belonged to Jimmy Webb. He began his set with “Highwayman” and closed with “McArthur Park,” told a very funny story about the inspiration for “The Worst That Could Happen,” saluted Vince Gill with “Oklahoma Nights,” and recalled praying as a 14-year-old that Glen Campbell would one day record one of his songs before launching into “Wichita Lineman.” Webb is certainly one of the top ten composers in pop music history, along with Goffin and King, Lennon and McCartney, Mann and Weil and Bacharach and David. Tonight’s performance was a reminder of Jimmy Webb’s singular talent.

New releases: Mavericks, Dale Watson, Becky Warren

 in Americana Music, Nashville music, New releases, Reviews

New and recent releases:

mavericks-liveThe Mavericks – All Night Live, Vol. 1 – Mondo Mundo Records – The Mavericks have had an extraordinary resurgence in recent years, emerging as top Americana music artists. All Night Live, Vol. 1 is packed with vibrant live versions of songs, largely from recent albums, plus a charming cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon. The collection is the first release on the band’s new Mondo Mundo label, and lead singer  Raul Malo told the Tennessean there are “so many freakin’ volumes” to come in the “All Night Live” series. A new studio album is expected in April 2017.

Blind Pilot – And Then Like Lions – ATO Records – Third album from the Portland-based band, now on tour in California.

Jesse Dayton – The Revealer – Blue Elan Records – The ninth album from Jesse Dayton includes standout track “Holy Ghost Rock ‘n’ Roller,” now getting good play on WMOT. He’s on tour through early December

dale-watsonDale Watson – Under the Influence – BFD – Dale Watson revisits honky tonk and country classics on this new collection, including covers of Doug Sham, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Lefty Frizell and Mel Tillis.

Becky Warren – War Surplus – Here’s a novel album concept. Nashville-based Becky Warren tells the story of a solider in Iraq and his girlfriend, with songs alternating their points of view. Warren goes on tour with the Indigo Girls beginning October 27.

Cris Jacobs – Dust to Gold – American Showplace Music – Second album from Cris Jacobs, on tour through October and November.

nipperDavid Nipper – EP – Fresh collection from talented Nashville singer-songwriter David Nipper. He’ll appear in the round  at the Commodore Grill in Nashville on November 10 with Phil Dillon and Dave Gibson.

Jack Tempchin – One More Song – Blue Elan Records – New album from Eagles collaborator and songwriter Jack Tempchin is an intimate collection, opening with his Johnny Rivers classic “Slow Dancin’.”

 

 

Sun209: The week in Tweets

 in Americana Music