Dad” are nothing but heart songs, and some of the finest ever written by the Kinkster. There’s a great song about Lady Liberty called “Carrying the Torch,” and a fun song about songwriting called “Me & Billy Swan.” “Blind Kinky Friedman” is absolute originality and “A Dog in the Sky” is equally compelling. When the Top Ten lists come out at the
end of the year, I’ll be greatly surprised if Kinky isn’t right there near the top of the list of best records of 2019.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Bruce Cockburn Crowing Ignites (True North) The first time I ever heard Bruce Cock- burn’s music was back in the early to mid 1990’s. My then sister in law was rav-
ing about his singing, songwriting and guitar work. Personally, I have not heard much of his work since I bought Stealing Fire and heard “If I Had a Rocket Launcher.” It was out in ’84 but I first heard it in ’92. I instantly became a fan of his music and lyrics. I put the new CD on and went to work
writing as usual. At first, I was a bit disap- pointed that his latest album Crowing Ignites had no vocals. None of his brilliant lyrics. I put the CD on and let it play as I was writing one of my books. The music is outstanding, and the perfect unobtrusive background soundtrack for my writing. It’s largely Bruce solo on guitar, all acoustic, with the odd addi- tional instrument tossed in here and there, including a cornet. There are eleven tracks, each one with
its own personality. Brilliant finger picking in every style from blues to flamenco. I will re- frain from a song by song analysis, since the entire album plays like one big piece of music,
broken into movements. I will say that this album is now in my digital library and will be played a lot during my writing sessions, when singers often take me out of my story, I usu- ally play various soundtracks (mostly John Williams) but this album is taylor made for enjoying while working or relaxing on the beach with a nice cocktail.
- Michael Buffalo Smith
The Allman Brothers Band Fillmore West '71 Only two months
before they recorded the landmark live album, At Fillmore East in New York, the Allman Broth-
ers band played at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West in San Francisco where they were billed in the second spot. Hot Tuna were the head- liners and the 24-piece Trinidad Tripoli Street Band opened. These recordings are being released for
the first time anywhere. While the set list is the same as Fillmore East, the tunes are still raw and ragged. They would undergo some serious polishing before being recorded by Tom Dowd. This is a great opportunity to hear more of Duane Allman’s magic on these four CDs. There is some true moments here that are every bit as good At Fillmore East, sometimes even better. Gregg never sang with more passion, and Duane and Dickey rule the roost with guitar artistry. The January 29 show was compiled
from reel to reel soundboard masters, and plays like a “greatest hits” record from “Statesboro Blues” to an 11-minute “Dreams” and the set closer “Whipping Post.” iIt rocks. The second night the guys exchanged “Stormy Monday” in place of “Midnight Rider.” All four shows are quite a thrill ride. One evening, Berry took to the mike to sing
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
