· Taking the adage that it's the driver, not the car, David Grisman's Acoustic Disc label has compiled 42 master musicians laying hands on a beloved 1933 Martin OM-45 guitar and a 1922 Gibson F-5 mandolin. Next Tuesday the label releases the fruit of this unique four-year effort in Tone Poets, a two-CD set that shows the range of sounds drawn from these same vintage instruments by different fingers, slides, and flatpicks.
The stellar players list includes David Bromberg, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, Sam Bush, and John Jorgenson - who takes his turn with Django Reinhardt's "Improvisation No. 1." A 28-page booklet introduces each musician and gives a history of the two instruments.
· One of Britain's most powerful voices is back next week as the Sanctuary Records imprint releases Alison Moyet's new collection of song interpretations, simply entitled Voice. The sessions were arranged and produced by Anne Dudley, an Oscar-winning composer and founding member of Art of Noise, and highlights include Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue," Jaques Brel's "La Chanson des Vieux Amants," Billie Holiday's "The Man I Love," and the Julie London hit "Cry Me a River." In other song-salute news, this week the Melvins are awarded with their own tribute album, We Reach: The Music of the Melvins. The Fractured Transmitter Records release features artwork by Derek Hess and cover contributions from Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Dog Fashion Disco, Mare, and more. In October, the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' Rubber Soul album will be celebrated with a new cover project, This Bird Has Flown, from Razor & Tie Records. The CD duplicates the original album's song order, with The Donnas taking a spin on "Drive My Car," Low's search for "Nowhere Man," Ben Harper's love letter to "Michelle," and Sufjan Stevens' "What Goes on." Other artists channeling the Fab Four include Dar Williams, Mindy Smith, Ted Leo, Fiery Furnaces, and Cowboy Junkies.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno gives college boy Tommy Lee a break from his studies on Thursday night; The Late Show with David Letterman serves up Black Eyed Peas on Friday and Rob Thomas on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Better Than Ezra this evening overnight and 30 Seconds to Mars on Tuesday overnight; and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson features the return of TLC on Thursday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, September 6:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Against Me!- Searching for a Former Clarity (Fat Wreck) mixing horns and country-blues drunken tilt, this is smart, genre-bending, pissed-off punk produced by Jay Robbins of Jawbox
Augustana- Stars & Boulevards (Epic) recently touring with Stereophonics and Embrace
Bobaflex- Apologize for Nothing (TVT) bravado nu-metal straight out of Point Pleasant, Ohio, and on tour now with Megadeth's Gigantor Tour
Terry Bozzio & Metropole Orkest- Chamber Works (Favored Nations) the Missing Persons drummer collaborating with the 60-piece orchestra from Holland in a Zappa vein
Kate Campbell- Blues & Lamentations (Large River) with guest harmony vocalists Maura O'Connell and Guy Clark, this new album features a song about the Texas preacher who almost beat the Wright Brothers to a flying machine
Sam Cooke- Nightbeat (RCA Legacy) studio sessions from 1963, stripped of orchestrated strings and other embellishments
Elvis Costello- The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of (Demon Vision) DVD collecting television appearances and 27 videos from 1978 to 1994
Dave Davies- Transformation: Live at the Alex Theater (Angel) import-only CD of this live benefit show from 2003, finding the Kinks founder and lead guitarist performing hits and new songs
José Gonzalez- Veneer (Hidden Agenda) fragile daydreams and classical guitar finger picking afloat in the same warm waters as Nick Drake and Bert Jansch, gently colored by flamenco and bossa-nova influences
Immaculate Machine- Ones & Zeroes (Mint) hip trio featuring keyboardist and vocalist Kathryn Calder, this compelling debut grooves and buzzes in grand majestic gestures reminiscent of Blondie, Urban Verbs, Yo La Tengo and the Pixies; catch them on tour now with the New Pornographers
Paul Kantner- Blows Against the Empire (RCA Legacy) reissue of this rock opera from 1970 with guests Jerry Garcia and David Crosby
Sarah McLachlan- Bloom: The Remix Album (Arista) selected tracks reworked by Talvin Singh, Junkie XL, Sly & Robbie, and Thievery Corporation
James McMurtry- Childish Things (Compadre) featuring a cover of Peter Case's "The Old Part of Town"
Hope Partlow- Who We Are (Virgin) debut from this 16-year-old from Drummonds, Tennessee, also heard singing the theme song to WB television's Living with Fran
The Peasall Sisters- Home to You (Dualtone) playing all their own instruments on this debut CD, these three young sisters - now 18, 14 and 12 - are best known as George Clooney's daughters in O Brother Where Art Thou?
The Police- Synchronicity (Universal) import-only DVD featuring a live concert from 1983, filmed by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme
The Proclaimers- Restless Soul (Persevere) all new on their artist-owned label, this return of the identical twins is a sweeping, pop-perfect masterpiece, dripping with secret-agent cool, icy twang, and heartbreaking melodies
Terry Reid- Superlungs (Astralwerks) collection of late-1960s tracks from the vocalist Jimmy Page originally wanted for Led Zeppelin
Rolling Stones- A Bigger Bang (Virgin) available as a CD, DVD, or DualDisc, featuring two songs sung by Keith Richards
Sexsmith & Kerr- Destination Unknown (Ronboy Rhymes) new from Ron Sexsmith and bandmate Don Kerr
The Shams- Sign the Line (Shake It) five-star white-hot garage blues produced by John Curley of the Afghan Whigs, rambling down a jangling psychedelic highway
Robert Skoro- That These Things Could Be Ours (Yep Roc) excellent up-and-coming singer/songwriter from Minneapolis who joined the Mason Jennings Band at 17
Angela Strehli- Blue Highway (M.C. Records) with guests Maria Muldaur and Marcia Ball, and a duet of Ernie K-Doe's hit "Hello My Lover" with Paul Thorn
The Subjects- The Subjects (SubjectsGo) four-song CD EP from this interesting group made up of two Manhattan high-school teachers and two of their former students
Ben Taylor- Another Run Around the Sun (Iris) featuring a cover of John Forte's "More Beautiful"
Lewis Taylor- Stoned (HackTone/Shout! Factory) domestic issue of this chilled psychedelic-soul hit from the UK, featuring five bonus tracks including a cover of Brian Wilson's "Melt Away"
Twilight Singers- Amber Headlights (Infernal Recordings)
Kathy Valentine- Light Years (All For One) terrific return of the Go-Go's bassist in her solo debut, featuring guests Ace Frehley of Kiss, Clem Burke of Blondie, and Gilby Clarke of Guns N' Roses, and a cover of Gary Myrick's hit "Guitar, Talk, Love, and Drums"
Viva K- Viva K (Stinky) my pick of the week is this sweaty, feverish full-length debut, mixing the punk sneer of Ms. Ween Callas and a droning raga electricity courtesy of the band's Middle Eastern heritage, spinning the occasional hypnotic sitar or tabla beat into their own magical mystery tour
Wobbler- Hinterland (Laser's Edge) gentle, playful prog from Lars Fredrik Froislie of White Willow
various artists - Tee Vee Toons All-Time Top 100 TV Themes (TVT) two-CD set covering five decades of memorable theme songs, from Dragnet and Love, American Style to Sex & the City and Six Feet Under
· One of Britain's most powerful voices is back next week as the Sanctuary Records imprint releases Alison Moyet's new collection of song interpretations, simply entitled Voice. The sessions were arranged and produced by Anne Dudley, an Oscar-winning composer and founding member of Art of Noise, and highlights include Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue," Jaques Brel's "La Chanson des Vieux Amants," Billie Holiday's "The Man I Love," and the Julie London hit "Cry Me a River." In other song-salute news, this week the Melvins are awarded with their own tribute album, We Reach: The Music of the Melvins. The Fractured Transmitter Records release features artwork by Derek Hess and cover contributions from Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Dog Fashion Disco, Mare, and more. In October, the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' Rubber Soul album will be celebrated with a new cover project, This Bird Has Flown, from Razor & Tie Records. The CD duplicates the original album's song order, with The Donnas taking a spin on "Drive My Car," Low's search for "Nowhere Man," Ben Harper's love letter to "Michelle," and Sufjan Stevens' "What Goes on." Other artists channeling the Fab Four include Dar Williams, Mindy Smith, Ted Leo, Fiery Furnaces, and Cowboy Junkies.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno gives college boy Tommy Lee a break from his studies on Thursday night; The Late Show with David Letterman serves up Black Eyed Peas on Friday and Rob Thomas on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts Better Than Ezra this evening overnight and 30 Seconds to Mars on Tuesday overnight; and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson features the return of TLC on Thursday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, September 6:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Against Me!- Searching for a Former Clarity (Fat Wreck) mixing horns and country-blues drunken tilt, this is smart, genre-bending, pissed-off punk produced by Jay Robbins of Jawbox
Augustana- Stars & Boulevards (Epic) recently touring with Stereophonics and Embrace
Bobaflex- Apologize for Nothing (TVT) bravado nu-metal straight out of Point Pleasant, Ohio, and on tour now with Megadeth's Gigantor Tour
Terry Bozzio & Metropole Orkest- Chamber Works (Favored Nations) the Missing Persons drummer collaborating with the 60-piece orchestra from Holland in a Zappa vein
Kate Campbell- Blues & Lamentations (Large River) with guest harmony vocalists Maura O'Connell and Guy Clark, this new album features a song about the Texas preacher who almost beat the Wright Brothers to a flying machine
Sam Cooke- Nightbeat (RCA Legacy) studio sessions from 1963, stripped of orchestrated strings and other embellishments
Elvis Costello- The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of (Demon Vision) DVD collecting television appearances and 27 videos from 1978 to 1994
Dave Davies- Transformation: Live at the Alex Theater (Angel) import-only CD of this live benefit show from 2003, finding the Kinks founder and lead guitarist performing hits and new songs
José Gonzalez- Veneer (Hidden Agenda) fragile daydreams and classical guitar finger picking afloat in the same warm waters as Nick Drake and Bert Jansch, gently colored by flamenco and bossa-nova influences
Immaculate Machine- Ones & Zeroes (Mint) hip trio featuring keyboardist and vocalist Kathryn Calder, this compelling debut grooves and buzzes in grand majestic gestures reminiscent of Blondie, Urban Verbs, Yo La Tengo and the Pixies; catch them on tour now with the New Pornographers
Paul Kantner- Blows Against the Empire (RCA Legacy) reissue of this rock opera from 1970 with guests Jerry Garcia and David Crosby
Sarah McLachlan- Bloom: The Remix Album (Arista) selected tracks reworked by Talvin Singh, Junkie XL, Sly & Robbie, and Thievery Corporation
James McMurtry- Childish Things (Compadre) featuring a cover of Peter Case's "The Old Part of Town"
Hope Partlow- Who We Are (Virgin) debut from this 16-year-old from Drummonds, Tennessee, also heard singing the theme song to WB television's Living with Fran
The Peasall Sisters- Home to You (Dualtone) playing all their own instruments on this debut CD, these three young sisters - now 18, 14 and 12 - are best known as George Clooney's daughters in O Brother Where Art Thou?
The Police- Synchronicity (Universal) import-only DVD featuring a live concert from 1983, filmed by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme
The Proclaimers- Restless Soul (Persevere) all new on their artist-owned label, this return of the identical twins is a sweeping, pop-perfect masterpiece, dripping with secret-agent cool, icy twang, and heartbreaking melodies
Terry Reid- Superlungs (Astralwerks) collection of late-1960s tracks from the vocalist Jimmy Page originally wanted for Led Zeppelin
Rolling Stones- A Bigger Bang (Virgin) available as a CD, DVD, or DualDisc, featuring two songs sung by Keith Richards
Sexsmith & Kerr- Destination Unknown (Ronboy Rhymes) new from Ron Sexsmith and bandmate Don Kerr
The Shams- Sign the Line (Shake It) five-star white-hot garage blues produced by John Curley of the Afghan Whigs, rambling down a jangling psychedelic highway
Robert Skoro- That These Things Could Be Ours (Yep Roc) excellent up-and-coming singer/songwriter from Minneapolis who joined the Mason Jennings Band at 17
Angela Strehli- Blue Highway (M.C. Records) with guests Maria Muldaur and Marcia Ball, and a duet of Ernie K-Doe's hit "Hello My Lover" with Paul Thorn
The Subjects- The Subjects (SubjectsGo) four-song CD EP from this interesting group made up of two Manhattan high-school teachers and two of their former students
Ben Taylor- Another Run Around the Sun (Iris) featuring a cover of John Forte's "More Beautiful"
Lewis Taylor- Stoned (HackTone/Shout! Factory) domestic issue of this chilled psychedelic-soul hit from the UK, featuring five bonus tracks including a cover of Brian Wilson's "Melt Away"
Twilight Singers- Amber Headlights (Infernal Recordings)
Kathy Valentine- Light Years (All For One) terrific return of the Go-Go's bassist in her solo debut, featuring guests Ace Frehley of Kiss, Clem Burke of Blondie, and Gilby Clarke of Guns N' Roses, and a cover of Gary Myrick's hit "Guitar, Talk, Love, and Drums"
Viva K- Viva K (Stinky) my pick of the week is this sweaty, feverish full-length debut, mixing the punk sneer of Ms. Ween Callas and a droning raga electricity courtesy of the band's Middle Eastern heritage, spinning the occasional hypnotic sitar or tabla beat into their own magical mystery tour
Wobbler- Hinterland (Laser's Edge) gentle, playful prog from Lars Fredrik Froislie of White Willow
various artists - Tee Vee Toons All-Time Top 100 TV Themes (TVT) two-CD set covering five decades of memorable theme songs, from Dragnet and Love, American Style to Sex & the City and Six Feet Under
