Raya & Mystic Dub: Have No Fear

On Have No Fear (Uncle Don’s Records) Raya & Mystic Dub manage to touch on all the important world music trends of the last thirty years. At times the disc sounds a little like dance-friendly Sly & Robbie, UB40, and Marcia Griffiths. Have No Fear features MD stalwarts John “Carlos” Ellsworth on drums along with Mickey McKenzie (clavinet). But Raya has also assembled some of the more credible players from West Michigan’s bustling blues and jazz scene: saxophonist John Gist (Steve Hilger Band) and bassist Jim Shaneberger (Greg Nagy). Raya reminds of Sade in a couple of ways. She shines bright as both songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (accordion, Hammond C-3 organ); all nine of the tracks are originals. The old school reggae sound is often characterized by a full horn complement which is found in abundance here. Rounding out the band is blues guitarist Donald Kinsey from the national touring act The Kinsey Report. Kinsey’s slicing lead work is unmistakable; warm blues tones permeate as famously heard on Mama Africa-era Peter Tosh. Producer Kinsey has credentials behind the board for legendary Jamaican artists as the aforementioned Tosh and Bob Marley. Singer Raya is able to give “Contagious” the sought after Middle Eastern flair. “Majesty Dub” sounds like it could have showed up on the Geffrey Morgan album it’s that good. There’s a lot to like on Have No Fear particularly if you’re not a big fan of the over-populated singer/songwriter scene. Positive vibes like this have been in short supply lately. Thankfully the one-love premise never goes out of style. Have No Fear is available locally at Vertigo Music and the Jumpin’ Java Coffeehouse in Grand Haven.


Raya & Mystic Dub, 10:30pm at The West Side Inn, Muskegon, tonight and tomorrow.

JJ Grey and MOFRO: Georgia Warhorse

Hear tell the Georgia warhorse ain't your ordinary bush cricket. According to those in the know there ain't nothing mamby-pamby about the revered, delicious, and nutritious Caelifera neither. You might not realize it just by looking but soul singer JJ Grey and the grasshopper have similar attributes. Grey, a ten-year plus veteran of the worldly music biz, has that gritty hang-tough attitude just like the storied insect. Both are legends of the south Georgia woods; they have well-developed survival qualities. Each April Jacksonville FL native Grey must mull over the books and wonder if he didn't break even for the year. But he and the warhorse keep coming at life because they don't know what else to do; you might say that Grey has looked the grasshopper eye-to-multiple-eye without a blink. Good thing for the rest of us they keep coming back. Grey's newest release Georgia Warhorse (Alligator) roils and simmers with sweet southern sweat, genuine Stax pop, and swampy blues. Undertows of indisputable soul churn about ready to envelop true music lovers in warm currents of sound. The early 70s sounding "All" is total Memphis straight from the heyday. On Warhorse songwriter Grey presents a solid case to join the selective ranks of esteemed Dixie writers such as Jerry Reed, Tony Joe White, and Otis Redding. No slouches in that bunch, no sir. The gospel sounding "Gotta Know" is one to have the wooden pews in church gently bending and creaking with the beat. "The Sweetest Thing," featuring reggae master Toots Hibbert, has one of the best breaks going just like a mid-range putt bends decidedly on the way to the cup. Yes! "Slow, Hot, and Sweaty" has you right there with sweat dripping behind your shades into your eyes while sashaying to your favorite beat. Warhorse picks up where Grey's successful predecessor Orange Blossoms left off. Georgia Warhorse was recorded in the Blossoms studio with essentially the same personnel and gear; not a bad way to go. Please don't expect an ensuing installment of Where are They Now? on VH1 for Grey. Not unless the grasshopper is ready to bug out too.

Bruce Katz: Live! at the Firefly

Bruce Katz and company wade deep into territory where few present-day jazz bands dare go: the blues. More precise would be to say that other jazzers don't feel like they need to go waist deep in this essential music form. For a jazz organ trio to roll out a slow blues or early boogie number would seem a no-brainer. You know, something to keep the crowd on the dance floor. Recorded at The Firefly Club in Ann Arbor Live! at the Firefly (Brown Dog Music) showcases the band at their live best with Katz at the piano and organ. When they launch into Mingus' "Better Get it In Your Soul" there can be no mistaking the sign out front that night said 'jazz band.' This might be a good time to point out the word soul; the Bruce Katz band has that in abundance. Not since Jimmy Smith has an organ-led trio ventured forth with such passion and skill. The beauty of the soulful feeling shows up clear as day on "The Blue Lamp." Superb guitarist Chris Vitarello sounds uncannily like Duane Allman on "Jump Start"; elsewhere reminiscent of Larry Carlton. Up the middle, Ralph Rosen on drums and Rod Carey on bass are about are good as a 1-2 as you can find. "Crew of Two" sounds a lot like the fine work Katz did with Ronnie Earl on The Color of Love. Speaking of the boogie number, "Norton's Boogie" is one hand-clappin' foot-shufflin' gem not to miss.

The Bruce Katz Band (MySpace) appears at the Livery in Benton Harbor on Oct 22.

Tin Can Trust by Los Lobos

Too often a collection of songs is more important than the songs themselves. For their best batch of original tunes since 2001’s Good Morning Aztlan, Los Lobos lays this convention aside. The band stays in finest form when they keep things simple for us. All they need to do to uncork the magic is focus on uncomplicated song structures, revisit poignant themes with no-nonsense riffs, and it's all over before anyone knows what happened. Los Lobos writes songs that go beyond just sounding good, the contents of which are filled wide with relevance and imagination. Their songs tell a story of what it must be like to head off to the bank first thing with your tin can of coins and realize what you don’t have by the time you corralled a runaway quarter on the landing by the stairs. The song is deeper than just that; how cool to connect on multiple levels. Trust was pieced together from recording studios across the US; no big surprise given the band’s hectic road schedule. But instead of sounding fractured and bumpy, Tin Can sounds smooth and taut due to the strength of the writing. Their ability to tell clear concise stories lies seemingly within strands of T1 fiber optics connecting the start of history to present life. “The Lady and the Rose,” a song of faith and struggle is destined to find its way into their tradition-rich acoustic show. “On Main Street” is a groovy 70s sounding Saturday morning jaunt down to the bakery and hardware store for your wife. "Jupiter or the Moon" is like the vaunted creeper buzz. It hits you when you're least expecting. The blues have been the bed rock foundation of a 35-year career and on Trust the Lobos again find ways to bring that out: here it’s the Hammond organ work of Steve Berlin and guest Rev. Charles Williams. The cover of the Dead’s “West LA Fadeway” is heavy blues worthy of comparisons to the old-school hard hitting funk of Albert King and the modern-day guitar of Buddy Guy. Cesar Rosas is the blues linchpin and one of many links into fertile musical territory. With their broad vision grounded in the blues, Rosas and company take it from that important roots strain into many directions. Rosas, their most recognizable member, strikes again with a new cumbia (Yo Canto) and a fine addition to the “runner” portion of the live show, “Mujer Ingrata.” The beauty of all this is that “Do the Murray” could be the set-ending number for the first show on any Saturday night for countless house blues bands everywhere. How grounded and universal is that? When Los Lobos dives deep and out of sight it’s perhaps too much for us to grasp (27 Spanishes). Ordinary humans have to see things in black and white to believe just a little; they can’t just feel it like is required here. When they go a little shallower, just skimming the surface of profound, Los Lobos is still better than most any other band going. Except maybe the all-time house blues band in the sky.

Tin Can Trust is available for purchase at www.loslobos.org

Nick Curran & the Lowlifes "Reform School Girl"

Mavericky Nick Curran--that’s what they call him these days. Mavericky seems appropriate given his all-orginals song choice and vaporous recording method on Reform School Girl (Electro Groove Records). In a Wild Ones cap bad-ass sort of way Reform School Girl sounds crusty and a little dusty but that’s part of its roughhewn charm; if you call pinks socks roughhewn. At first you might think you put on a Little Richard album without cleaning the needle first given the Penniman inspired vocal whoops and vintage palm-sliding piano of Derek Bossanova. To be sure, Curran is rambunctious but not reckless, psycho but not scary. Reform School Girl helps Curran find his place in today’s roots music scene without going to cheese. Cheesey is different from flamboyant as you know. Flamboyant has everything to do with being on stage, breaking a leg and living it up. By doing that Curran makes us feel like we’re in ye days of old and the era of flamboyant types like Orvis Goodnight, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and Guitar Slim—who had the stage antics down green hair plus. Curran takes us on a wild trip on his motorcycle with slicing rockabilly guitar in the side car and early rock on the transistor radio. He gives it the gas hard all the way through the tight corners and careens about you’d swear he just turned off the headlight in the dark. Not that he's reckless or disrespectful but he runs over expectation flattening convention along the way via a double- dose of punk attitude. Now we’re slithering along the underbelly of the seamy blues world of the Lowlifes where inhabits tough lovers, everybody’s lover (Lusty Li'l Lucy), Pinky Tuscadero-types, and old-school record parties. Curran has spent meaningful time with rockabilly’s Ronnie Dawson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds (Painted On), and his own punk band (Deguello). On Reform School Girl all these hit money at once and the result is cashtastic.

Nick Curran & the Lowlifes wsg the Rowley Wheeler Band appear at Billy's Lounge on July 22, 9pm. $10

Nick Curran's Myspace Page

Los Lobos "Acoustic En Vivo"

35 years ago Los Lobos was not long out of East L.A.'s Jefferson High School. It didn't take long to realize that they should learn traditional Mexican music, polkas and folk songs. This way they could get more gigs playing Mexican quinciarras and other cultural occasions where traditional sounds were in demand. So they raided their parents’ record collections and scooped up traditional instruments, like the bajo sexto, for study at pawnshops. The young Wolves even made a pilgrimage to Mexico to see if they could really feel the historic vibe. According to Los Lobos founding member Louie Perez, this was the once in a lifetime opportunity “to learn first-hand the integrity of our culture.” Other musicians talk about how deep Los Lobos is; Acoustic En Vivo is what they’re talking about. Acoustic En Vivo spotlights a vibrant strumming technique complimented by the distinct blend of harmony voices that is unmatched when filling up the sound space in the finest concert halls world wide. Songs with such historical quality just aren't written anymore. Using the same fingers that wield wide respect on plugged-in instrumentation, Los Lobos finds an instant touch with soft hands on vintage Mexican jarana and tres guitars. There will simply never be a band like this again. Acoustic En Vivo is the finest documentation of their folklorico presentation that is available today. Click on the link below for a sample of this disc, the song "Colas."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsUtKfHX4wo

The Concussions: Magic Fingers

The unearthly opening song for The Concussions most recent release, Magic Fingers (the name reminds me of a great but weird mechanic I once knew), sounds like the theme music from some late night, 1960s Abbie-normal sci-fi television series. The Invasion of the Closed-Head Injury Guys comes to mind. "Think Pink" sounds like what would be on the turntable during a game of naked Twister beach bingo on 'shrooms back in the day. "All Skate" takes us back to the more innocent days of roller skating on Friday nights. You know, the song that came on for the couples skate which found the girl you asked looking like she'd rather enjoy sharp shards of glass in her fountain drink than skate alone with your geeky ass (she only gives in because her Mom is giving her the eyeball from the sidelines). Yeah, thanks for the memories. Bill Vits drumming is spot on and, more importantly, never too loud. Great example of ensemble playing by everyone. Danny Barber on trumpet is heard on "Stiletto" which is instrumentally reminiscent of Dick Dale & the Del-Tones "Miserlou" (which the C-HIG's do rousingly in performance). The Concussions have established themselves as one of the U.S. prominent surf bands alongside the esteemed likes of The Volcanoes, The Trashmen, and Los Straightjackets (whose members sometimes appear locally with part of The Concussions crew as The b/sides and The Neanderthals). A warm fuzzy sound quality permeates Fingers courtesy of the analog production at Goon Lagoon Studios. So come on in, take off your skin and rattle around in your bones with The Concussions. Next time you too will wish you'd worn a helmet. Magic Fingers is available at http://theconcussions.com/