Category: MMMM (New Music)

The last weekend of April … it’s going to snow overnight here north of Denver…. figures…. Miss Pattie and I planted a new dwarf spruce today in the front yard.  It’ll no doubt take several years to reach maturity of 6 foot.

I came across two new releases today by legendary and internationally known artists from Colorado that “DEMANDED” to be added … so they have become the last adds in April — here’s what to look forward to next month.

Not to forget — the May 1 News Notes & Charts comes out Monday.

John Oates – Mississippi Mile (PS Records)Website: www.johnoates.com
Notes:  Yes this John Oates = Hall & Oates.  John has made his home in Colorado for over 20 years.   Not since the early days of Hall & Oates have I been this excited about something John has worked on.  But then, John never did a record so deep in dirt and grittiness of voice.  Seems the extended stay at 10,000 feet has weathered John’s voice considerably.  It’s much grittier and dryer than the voice of the smoother Philly-blue-eyed-soul we’ve known him for.  The voice fits him well – as does the choice of material for the voice – including that remake of the old H&O classic, You Make My Dreams Come True. Speaking of remakes ……

Rene Marie – Voice Of My Beautiful Country (Motema) Website: www.renemarie.com/
Notes:  White Rabbit…  Drift Away…  John Henry…. … jazz … neo soul …. rootsy … emotional … not quite cerebral, but some of the solos did take me on a journey outside of myself so I guess there’s some cerebral going on.  Gotta say – the ladies are laying down the soul side of jazz HEAVILY around here lately…. This one goes down easily as one of the most imaginary records of year to date, and will no doubt be on my best of 2011 list at year’s end.

From her bio at www.renemarie.com:   “… Marie didn’t sing professionally until after she turned 40.  What followed was a whirlwind of success and great critical acclaim rarely seen in the jazz world, from The LA Times to the Washington Post, from the Miami Herald to the Chicago Tribune. She has received several awards throughout her career including Best International Jazz Vocal CD (besting Cassandra Wilson and Joni Mitchell) by the Academie Du Jazz (Paris, France) and has graced the Billboard Charts multiple times propelling her to headliner status at major festivals in the US & abroad including the prestigious Women In Jazz festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Spoleto festival in Charleston, SC, the Edinburgh Jazz Festival (Scotland), Shanghai Jazz Festival (China) among many others.”

Gary Bragg – High Plains Storm (Q&B Records)  Genre/Style – outlaw-country, americana, humor
Sampled focus tracks:  High Plains Storm, Locked & Loaded, She Canceled the Cable, Free Range
Website: www.garybragg.com
Notes:  Monday morning pretty much sucks in anyone’s world I think … so just when you think you’re going to excoriate or blow some poor bastard off in a fit of “road rage” slap this disc in and be prepared to a) guffaw, b) chorkle, c) snicker, d) cackle, or otherwise find yourself grinning broadly and no longer worrying about the driver in the next lane, and more focused on not driving off the road yourself.  Produced by Eric Thorin; recorded by Colin Bricker and Mario Castillo at Mighty Fine Productions (formerly Notably Fine Audio). 

***DISCLAIMER — Gary Bragg’s “High Plains Storm” will be serviced to non-comm radio and press statewide by Rocky Mountain Music Network.  If you are with one of those stations or publications, expect to receive a copy somewhere around Monday May 9th.

MMMM …. an irregular Monday Morning Music Meeting … takes less than five minutes … HOT new adds to The Colorado Sound.

FEATURED ARTIST/RELEASE – MOLLY COTTRELL S/T EP Sample Tracks:  Not What I Need [single, 2010], Undecided Blue, Fellow Travelers (Molly Cottrell, EP, 2011)
Genre/Style:  neo-soul, vintage r&b/soul, gospel
RIYL:  Otis Redding, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse
Website: http://mollycottrell.webstarts.com/
Notes:  “Not What I Need” produced by Ryan West (Kanye West, Jay Z, Rihanna).  There’s a link to free downloads (hi-res available) on Molly’s website.  One word = delectable.  Molly has one seriously cool sounding voice, a compliment that Ryan West also passed on.  She’s got mad skillz and deep soul.  Molly has been among us for four years, attending school at the University of Denver-Lamont School of Music, majoring in voice.  I hope she intends to stay in Denver for many more years.  The EP is very nicely co-produced and recorded, mixed, and mastered by DU/Lamont School of Music graduate and two-time Downbeat award winning recording engineer Drew Sowell (the Foote., Ellison Park, N.E.R.D.) at Sowell Sound Productions  and Lamont Recording Studios.

3 MINUTE RIDE – A ROCKNROLL ROADTRIP  The Whiskey Bottles – Ain’t No Crime
Sample Track:  Blackjack Betty
RIYL:  Black Crowes, Drive By Truckers, Lucinda Williams
Genre/Style:  Rock, alternative-country-rock
Website:  http://www.thewhiskeybottles.com/
Notes:  #1 most spun Colorado release at KAFM (Grand Junction) last month, breaking the RMMN TOP 40 at #19.

John Statz – Ghost Towns
Sample Track:  Ghost Towns
RIYL:  Tom Petty, Ryan Adams
Genre/Style:  Rock, roots, alternative-country-rock
Website: http://www.johnstatz.com/
Notes: Originally from the Madison, Wisconsin area – Ghost Towns was mostly recorded there w/Madison players, with a couple of tracks recorded in Bupapest (the Budapest Sessions EP was just released).  Ghost Towns has been nominated for a Madison Area Music Award for “Folk/Americana Album of the Year,” from the Madison Area Music Association (MAMA), an award that John also won in 2007.  Welcome to Colorado John 🙂

a. Tom Collins – OH NO!
Sample Track:  Pants Off Dance Off
Genre/Style – Notes:  rock, unique, experimental, folk, americana, blues, jazz, traditional, modern, complex, tongue-in-cheek, lo-fi, irreverent.
Website:  http://atomcollins.bandcamp.com/album/oh-no

Veronica – Emerging from Troubled Days
Sample Track:  Hurley Wax
Genre/Syle:  rock, garage rock, roots rock, punk
Website:  http://veronica.bandcamp.com/album/emerging-from-troubled-days (free download)
Notes:  In one way or another this band has been around since about 94, when Baldo Rex guitarist Ted Thacker wanted a side-project.  “Frederick” needs a radio edit, but that song and Hurley Wax are the go-to tracks on the album.

Stingray Jones & the Mad Men – Bad Girl [single]
Genre/Style: rock, roots, country-rock
Website:  http://stingrayjones.bandcamp.com/
Notes:  this band features Glenn Esparza on guitar (Goldie & the Bears, The Jars,  Savage Henry, Wish We Were Floyd, Chute Nine, Sherry Jackson)