The Foos, Arlo & Rani...

I must apologize to the regular readers of my music blog (yes, both of you.) I’ve been trying to have a new post ready by Friday, but this week was so busy that Sunday afternoon was the first opportunity I had to get to it. I confess that I didn’t listen to as much music this week. I was finishing up two audio books: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (excellent account of what Vlad Drac’s been up to for the past 500 years) and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (a wonderful, often humorous tale of all the disciplines in science and mathematics and the super geeks who gave them to us.) I highly recommend both. OK, on to music…

Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Sept 07)
I’m listening to the newest Foo Fighters release, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. I have to admit, I never really liked grunge and I didn’t care for many of the bands that style of Rock’N’Roll produced. It’s a shame when you think about it because I moved to Puget Sound, ground zero for grunge, a few years before flannel and poor personal hygiene became fashionable. The Foo’s have a distinct sound. It’s a sound Dave Grohl has been perfecting since the early days of grunge. It’s a bit more refined, mature and melodic approach to Rock than one of his earlier bands, Nirvana. I like this very much. Most of the tracks are up-tempo rockers. Summer’s End is my current favorite cut. Let me add that Grohl isn’t just another drummer-turned-songwriter. He’s a talented, adept tunesmith and apparently, from the articles I read, he’s one of the nicest guys in the music business. Evidently everyone loves the man.

Arlo Guthrie - In Times Like These (July 07)
On a completely different note (pun fully intended) I have a copy of Arlo Guthrie’s In Times Like These. It’s a live recording and Arlo is backed by the University of Kentucky’s Symphony Orchestra. I feel compelled to comment; Outside of recordings by the Moody Blues, I’ve rarely liked Rock/Folk/whatever combined with a Classical sound. Don’t get me wrong, I love Classical music. I just don’t think it mixes well with other genres. The result typically makes me feel like I’m in an elevator. This CD is an exception. The mix is nice, not overproduced. Arlo’s voice is strong, the song selection is great. I found myself tapping my foot and bobbing my head along through all twelve tracks including a very Bourbon Street sounding St. James Infirmary Blues and, of course, Steve Goodman’s City of New Orleans. Granted it’s not on par with Hobo’s Lullaby, Alice’s Restaurant or Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys, however, any fan of Arlo Guthrie’s music will want to hear this.

Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem - Big Old Life (June 07)
Now comes my favorite part of my post, telling people about a not-so-well-known artist. Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem and the CD is Big Old Life. American roots music featuring: vocals, fiddle, bass, banjo, guitar and drum enterprise (cardboard box, cat food cans, an old cookie tin and a suitcase). I discovered Rani Arbo back in 2001 with her first release called Cocktail Swing and have been a fan ever since. On the new disc one song has a Cajun, Blues, Jazzy, Funk Gospel sound (Joy Comes Back), another has a real old-timey C&W feel and would be right at home on an album by Loretta Lynn or Dolly Parton (Big Old Life) then a traditional Bluegrass track (Red Haired Boy) followed by a Folk song (Roses) And that’s just the first four cuts. Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem can’t be labeled except to say that they play great music and they play it well. I like their sound a lot! You can hear three tracks from the new disc on NPR’s All things Considered website