Irma Thomas - Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary CD

Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary buy CD music Around the time of his 71st birthday, rock-&-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis unveiled LAST MAN STANDING, a celebratory outing that features a stunning cast of guest musicians, ranging from B.B. King and Little Richard to Merle Haggard and Neil Young. Among the many highlights of this album are Lewis's lively collaboration with guitarist Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin's "Rock N' Roll," a rendition that wonderfully plays up the tune's 1950s leanings, and the Killer's honky-tonk spin on Hank Williams's "Lost Highway," which points to his often-overlooked country recordings and features Delaney Bramlett's searing six-string work. Like the latter-day recordings of his old Sun labelmate Johnny Cash, this Lewis collection points to a remarkable legacy, while also displaying his still-formidable talents, resulting in a musical testament to aging impressively well. Personnel: Jerry Lee Lewis (vocals, piano); Keith Richards, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Buddy Guy (vocals, guitar); Delaney Bramlett, Don Henley, George Jones, John Fogerty, Kid Rock, Little Richard, Merle Haggard, Mick Jagger, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Toby Keith, Bruce Springsteen (vocals); Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimmy Rip, Kenny Lovelace, Robbie Robertson (guitar); Ron Wood (pedal steel guitar); Ivan Neville (organ); Butch Hutchinson (bass guitar); Jim Keltner (drums).

Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary CD music Of all the heartland-based "working class rockers" of the 1970s and '80s, Bob Seger was one of the most consistently credible and satisfying. Not only did he brandish a muscular classic rock sound, but he was a talented songwriter, giving equal emphasis to rebellious electric barnstormers and melancholic, thoughtful folk-tinged tunes. Seger's spotlight may have faded by 2006's FACE THE PROMISE, but that doesn't mean any of his power as a singer, songwriter, and performer had diminished. Seger's gruff voice sounds as weathered and gutsy as ever, and his status as an elder statesman hasn't led him to turn down his amplifiers a single notch, as the pounding title track and "Wreck This Heart," the album's opener, prove. But one of Seger's great strengths has always been his reflective, acoustic-driven songs, and "No Matter Who You Are" and "Won't Stop" deliver on that count, demonstrating that even after all these years Seger still has his touch. Recording information: Home Studios, MI; Ocean Way Studios, Nashville, TN. Personnel: Bob Seger (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, synthesizer, string synthesizer, percussion); Bob Seger (vocals); Eric Sean Murphy, Patty Loveless (vocals); Brent Rowan (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Kenny Greenberg, Biff Watson (guitar, electric guitar); J.T. Corenflos (guitar); David Cole (electric guitar, percussion); Aubrey Haynie (mandolin, fiddle); Connie Ellisor, Elisabeth K. Small, Zeneba Bowers, John Catchings, Jim Grosjean, Mary Kathryn Van Osdale, Craig Nelson , Carl Gorodetzky, Pamela Sixfin, David Davidson , David Angell, Gary VanOsdale, Matthew Walker, Carole Rabinowitz-Neuen (strings); Jim Hoke, Randy Leago (tenor saxophone); Sam Levine (baritone saxophone); Steve Herman (trumpet); Bill Huber (trombone); John Hobbs, Billy Payne, Gordon Mote (piano); Glenn Worf, Larry Paxton (bass guitar); Barbara Payton, Laura Creamer, Leslie Mills, Shaun Murphy, Thornetta Davis, Bernie Barlow (background vocals); Kid Rock (vocals, slide guitar); John Jarvis (piano); Paul Leim (drums, cowbells); Eric Darken (drums, tambourine, percussion); Eddie Bayers, Steve Brewster (drums). Audio Mixers: David Cole; Bob Seger.

Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary songs Bettye Lavette's superlative a cappella rendition of Sinead O'Connor's "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" is a fitting opener to this raw collection of covers by women songwriters like Lucinda Williams, Joan Armatrading, and Dolly Parton. The job done by Lavette and her exemplary backing band on this superb deep soul set is so thoroughly transformational as to make these pop, rock, and country songs entirely their own. Her voice is rough and heartfelt, palpably carrying a weight of heartbreak, the musicians' performances are intimate and spontaneous, and the songs, from Parton's "Little Sparrow" to Bobbie Cryner's undiscovered masterpiece, "Just Say So," are impeccably well-chosen. Recording information: The Sound Factory (05/10/2005-05/13/2005). Authors: Elvis Costello; Bonnie Raitt. Photographer: Kevin Estrada. Personnel: Bettye LaVette (vocals); Lisa Coleman (piano, Wurlitzer piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ); David Piltch (double bass, upright bass); Paul Bryan (electric bass, bass guitar); Valerie Watson, Niki Haris, Niki Harris, Valerie Watson (background vocals); Chris Bruce (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Doyle Bramhall II (electric guitar); Earl Harvin (drums). Liner Note Author: Rob Bowman.

Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary album for sale One of the key architects of the Chicago blues sound, guitar master Hubert Sumlin is probably best known for his wiry, angular phases on Howlin' Wolf classics like "Smokestack Lightnin'" and "I Asked for Water." But Sumlin also worked with Muddy Waters, and ABOUT THEM SHOES pays overt homage to Chicago's favorite blues son with a set list full of Waters's originals and tunes written for Waters by Willie Dixon (the great songwriter, bassist, and Chicago session man). ABOUT THEM SHOES finds Sumlin brings on a distinguished roster of guests, including drummer Levon Helm, harmonica player James Cotton, vocalist David Johansen, and six-string godheads Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. Clapton, Richards, and Johansen lend some fine vocal tracks (Johansen's Wolf-like take on "Walkin' Thru the Park" is especially notable), but Sumlin takes the spotlight here. The veteran still throws out stinging leads, distinctive melody lines, and quick, perfectly crafted embellishments that drip with blues essence. The end result is a fine tribute to Waters, and to Sumlin's own towering contribution to the genre. Liner Note Authors: Hubert Sumlin; Michael Barthel. Recording information: Showplace Studios, NJ (10/2002); Studio L, CT (10/2002). Photographer: Peter Margonelli. Personnel: Hubert Sumlin (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Hubert Sumlin; George Receli (vocals, drums, percussion); George Recile (vocals, drums); Blondie Chaplin (vocals, percussion, background vocals); Nathaniel Peterson, Jr., Nathaniel Peterson (vocals); David Maxwell (guitar, piano); Mudcat Ward (bass guitar); Keith Richards (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar); Paul Oscher (vocals, slide guitar, harmonica); David Johansen (vocals); Bob Margolin (guitar); James Cotton (harmonica); Levon Helm (drums). Audio Mixers: Rob Fraboni; Ben Elliott. CD Single

Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary CD music Before Bettye Lavette's world-beating 2005 comeback album, I'VE GOT MY OWN HELL TO RAISE, she struggled through career tribulations for decades, a conspicuous indignity being Atlantic's refusal to release her 1972 Muscle Shoals sessions. Three-and-a-half decades later, she followed up HELL TO RAISE by returning to THE SCENE OF THE CRIME and recording in Muscle Shoals once more, backed not only by old-school sessioneers like David Hood, but by Hood's son Patterson's band, the Drive-By Truckers. The Truckers sublimate their rock tendencies, offering a greasy blend of soul and blues to back Lavette's throaty, passion-filled narratives. She winds her way through tunes by everyone from Elton John to John Hiatt, investing them all with powerful emotion, delivering a modern soul classic. Liner Note Author: Patterson Hood. Recording information: Chase park Transduction; FAME Studios, Muscle Shoals, AL; Water Music Recording Studio. Photographers: Kevin Kiley; Bryan Sheffield. Personnel: Bettye LaVette (vocals); Bettye LaVette; John Neff, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley (guitar, guitars); Shonna Tucker, David Hood (bass guitar); Kelvin Holly (guitar); Spooner Oldham (piano, Wurlitzer organ); Sum Haque (piano); Brad Morgan (drums). Audio Mixer: David Barbe.

Soul Queen of New Orleans: 50th Anniversary buy CD music Although star-studded duet albums are often a mixed bag, when executed with appropriate collaborators and material the results can be impressive. Such is the case with many tracks on B.B. King's 80, which celebrates the blues legend's birthday with panache and, of course, a slew of high-profile guests. The 2005 album begins with "Early in the Morning," a pitch-perfect mid-tempo number performed with Van Morrison, and continues in finest form when it features other performers fluent in the blues, including Eric Clapton (a Hammond-tinged take on "The Thrill Is Gone"), Mark Knopfler (the simmering "All Over Again"), and King's longtime friend and peer Bobby "Blue" Bland (the intimate, conversational "Funny How Times Slip Away"). On every tune, King commands his guitar (the beloved "Lucille") better than performers a fraction of his age, and his weathered voice only adds to the record's charm. Personnel: B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Glenn Frey, John Mayer , Billy Gibbons (vocals, guitar); Van Morrison (vocals, harmonica); Elton John (vocals, piano); Daryl Hall, Gloria Estefan, Roger Daltrey, Sheryl Crow, Bobby "Blue" Bland (vocals); Davey Johnstone , Dean Parks, Eric Clapton, Larry Campbell, Mark Knopfler, Clem Clemson (guitar); Brandon Fields (saxophone); Gary Grant, Jerry Hey (trumpet); William Frank "Bill" Reichenbach Jr. (trombone); Luke Smith (Hammond b-3 organ); Chris Stainton, Guy Babylon , Robbie Buchanan, Brian Mitchell (keyboards); Leland Sklar, Bob Birch (electric bass); T-Bone Wolk, Yolanda Charles (bass guitar); Nigel Olsson, Russ Kunkel, Ian Thomas, Billy Ward (drums); John Mahon (percussion).