Music
Bob Dylan: Shadow Kingdom (Columbia Records)
Often hailed as one of the greatest songwriters of all time folk-rock legend Bob Dylan is one of the most prolific and consistent musicians across three generations.
Various Artists: Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos (Craft)
Written in Their Soul collects one-hundred-and-forty previously unreleased demos from Stax Records, the Memphis label whose 1960s and ’70s stars included Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, Isaac Hayes, Sam and Dave, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas and Eddie Floyd. Released on June 23, the set ranges from spare but soulful early versions of hits to fully fleshed productions that were never released.
Ivan Neville: Touch My Soul (Mascot Label Group/The Funk Garage)
Keyboardist, vocalist and Neville family scion Ivan Neville has released his first solo album in nearly 20 years. Best known more recently for Dumpstaphunk, and for special guest appearances with a huge variety of musicians, many of his musical friends and family return the favor by guesting on an album chock full of them.
Dr. John: Dr. John: The Montreux Years (BMG)
Dr. John: The Montreaux Years collects recordings from seven of the late, much-loved singer-pianist’s Montreaux Jazz Festival sets. Following the April release of the Tipitina’s Record Club’s Solo Piano: Live In New Orleans 1984, The Montreaux Years is this year’s second official Dr. John concert album. It’s available in CD and digital formats, while the Tipitina’s Record Club album is a limited-edition vinyl LP.
Jourdan Thibodeaux et les Rôdailleurs: La Prière (Valcour Records)
If you think this is another traditional fare of alternating Cajun two-steps and waltzes, then skip on by. That would be the conventional approach, but Jourdan Thibodeaux is hardly a conformist. He writes his originals on his fiddle, and doesn’t listen to music while driving his truck, instead preferring to hear melodies mentally.
Vick LeCar: Vick LeCar’s Gallus Rex (Righteous Path)
Not many people seem to write love songs for their guitars anymore. Vick Lecar’s “My Guitar and I” is probably the first song of this nature I’ve really enjoyed since Dash Rip Rock’s “String You Up” a couple of decades ago. Like that one, it’s full of hot licks and double entendres, with a suitably climactic solo at the end.
Smiloh: Kaleidoscape (Independent)
Emily Mikesell is the mastermind behind Smiloh. She is a fast-rising trumpeter and vocalist who is a member of Trumpet Mafia and has played with a wide range of local players since moving to town.
4Horses Cajun Dancehall Band: Live at La Poussiere, Breaux Bridge, LA – Part One (Flattown Music)
4Horses was spawned from Cajun supergroup High Performance when steel guitarist Richard Comeaux had difficulty booking a gig and his usual suspects were unavailable.
Sean Hobbes and the Hi Res: Images of Rose (Independent)
Back in the day, the kind of music Sean Hobbes and the Hi Res are making was called “blue-eyed soul.” Defined mostly by the race of its practitioners, the genre was as meaningless as most other attempts to pigeonhole musicians.
Dan Montgomery: Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads (Fantastic Yes Records)
“What you did back then don’t mean a thing today,” sings Dan Montgomery in the cast-iron curtain-raiser for this affectionately rocking set.
