Quarternotes By Michael Buffalo Smith
Drive By Truckers take on a pile of real life issues on Ameri- can Band (ATO), their decidedly more serious new release. You won’t find any of their usual tongue in cheek humor here.
Instead, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and the boys take on issues like race, guns, immi- gration, and the Confederate flag. The core of the album is a song called “Guns of Umpqua,” a heartbreaking recollection of the Oregon mass shootings. The guys are still rocking it out with their own Southern rock drenched swagger, but the songs here are serious com- mentaries for the day and age, the soundtrack of the 2016 presidential election and a sober look at where we stand as a society…Speaking of changing direction, Phish have delivered their most serious album ever with Big Boat (Jemp). With “Breath and Burning” Trey Anastasio paints a picture of approaching the end times where “the nightmares all come true.” Like the Truckers, the feel good/get high jam band kings keep the party going, al- beit while taking a close look at the world as in descends into the firey pit. With Bob Ezrin producing (KISS, Pink Floyd), the never-end- ing guitar noodling is cut way, way back, and the lyrics are given the spotlight. Phish, all grown up and serious? Say it ain’t so Joe! Don’t worry folks. You must remember this, a Phish is still a Phish…Van Morrison cele- brates his 71st birthday with his 36th studio release, Keep Me Singing (Caroline). His voice sounds as good as ever, and the song- writing is still there. Morrison ages gracefully
with songs like “Every Time I See a River,” a standout track among a whole set of standout tracks. All of the songs are original Morrisons except one. Van pulls out all the stops on the Bobby “Blue” Bland chesnut “Share Your Love with Me.” Good stuff…Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee lets her inner child dance with the children’s record Dream Too Much (Amy Lee Music) . Was it a surprise? Why, of course it was. But a very good sur- prise. Amy kicks it off with a very peasant romp through Ben E. King’s smash “Stand By Me. “ Lee’s absolutely perfect voice is front and center on the title track, “There’s just no way you can dream too much.” The songs go all Fisher Price on us with “Bee and Duck,” a cute 37 second ditty, and the sweet “Little Bird,” and “Donkey
and Chicken,” a celebration of, of all things, ice cream. She takes on the classic “Rubber Duckie,” sung as a duet backed by ukulele. Her cover of The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” is great, especially with the added cameo from a little friend. The children’s album is truly a family affair, with Amy’s dad, a long time mu- sician, on guitar and vocals, and her Uncle joining in, as well as her two sisters who add some amazing harmonies to make this a beautiful record for kids and parents alike… After breaking a 20-year gap between studio albums with Croz in 2014, David Crosby makes a speedy return to action with Light- house (Groundup). Crosby sounds as good as ever here, dishing out the mellow sounds and hippie vibes at a time when America is more
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