My Morning Jacket - My Morning Jacket (2021)

I've been liking My Morning Jacket for close to a quarter of a century, and their latest, self-titled, one is probably my favourite. So I think we can say they really earned their review on Blasting Days... In the meantime their music evolved from indie rock/americana to indie/soul/progressive/psych rock (now evoking band like Pink Floyd or Yes at times, and the quality remained and even improved. Highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Algiers - Shook (2023)

Shook, released last year, is Algiers' fourth album. They still deliver some kind of soul infused post-punk but they brought many people to collaborate with them (Zach de la Rocha, Backxwash, billy woods, Mark Cisneros, Patrick Shiroishi, among others) and as could be expected Shook is the most versatile album they have done, gaining in diversity what it loses in cohesiveness. The many hip-hop and spoken words elements give the album a kind of ambient / soundtrack feel. But describing it is a bit pointless, you have to experience it. I really recommend you do (and check their previous albums as well!).

The Bandcamp page.

 

Nobody aka Willis Earl Beal - Nobody Knows (2012)

Nobody Knows, released in 2012 is not the most recent album from Nobody aka Willis Earl Beal, but I think it's still his masterpiece (the rest is good as well). He's crafting his on mix of every Afro-Amercian music from the chain-gang worksongs to hip-hop through blues and soul, for a result that sound at the same time familiar and unique. Both he songwriting and the singing are excellent and special and this album should be considered a classic.

The Bandcamp page.

James Leg - Blood on the Keys (2015)

John Wesley Myers was the keyboard / vocals half of The excellent Black Diamond Heavies. He's now playing a similar kind of music in solo as James Leg. His third album Blood on the Keys is maybe not as good as Below the Belt was, but still unique, very good  and enjoyable. The music is stripped down garage rock. stripped down to the point there's no guitars! and it does not even feel less rocking at all! Just drums, vocals, and rhodes piano. Rocking and doing it with a lot of groove, and also with a kind of Tom Waits boogie style, and some old school soul / rhythm & blues feel. He really avoids sounding like the others garage rock bands while keeping very pure the essence of raw rock music.

Badbadnotgood & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul (2015)

Some hip-hop for a change. But of the classiest kind. Ghostface Killah holding the mic. with GZA he's probably the only one from The Wu Tang Clan to deliver everytime, without wrong moves. As usual he shows here, but without vulgar showing-off, how good he is as a MC. Badbadnotgood, an instrumental trio (drums, stand-up bass and guitar, a bit of strings here and there) of young guys is writing / playing the music, in a jazzy/ soul vein with a hip-hop beat. Mostly slow and smooth with enough groove and leaving all the space needed for Ghostface to do his thing. The music's faithfull to the Ghostface Killah universe, focused on his most classy and soulfull side. One of the few hip-hop album I enjoyed these last years (last Ghostface solo album, 36 seasons is good as well, but I think I prefer this one, with a more constant quality).

The Soundcloud page.

Kamasi Washington - The Epic (2015)

This is called The Epic and indeed just "Epic" would have been an understatement for this album is the glorious embodiment of how epic a jazz album can be. On The Epic Kamasi Washington plays with his band, the excellent The next step (10 musicians, Kamasi on tenor Sax, two bassists, one standup and one electric, two drummers, a keyboard, a piano, trombone and a singer). there's also a 32 people string section orchestra and a 20 people choir. how about that? Uually I don't like orchestral music and I prefer small jazz bands but even if sometimes the orchestrations are a bit too much that's also part of the greatness of this album. That much too much borders genius! it walks a dangerous thin line but that's also why it's a fascinating album. it's not just awesome by the number, oh, did I mention it's a 3 CD album, 171 minutes of music? can you take it? guess what? you probably can, there's enough diversity and creativity on display that you can listen to the whole album without getting bored at any moment. It's an immersive experience. it swallows you. ok quantity but also very high quality, marvellous and surprising songwriting, the best musicianship you can find (special mention to the rhythm section, to the keys / piano and to Kamasi Washington with his sax).  It's jazz of course, it's also very groovy and funky (that drumming!), soulfull (the orchestration can reminds Isaac Hayes at times, or Stevie Wonder melodies).  You can find a Coltrane bit, a lot of Sun Ra i'd say as well, well, it's some crazy, trippy forward thinking jazz.

An awesome and very special jazz album (and maybe more than that!).

http://kamasiwashington.com/

Monophonics-in your brain

In your brain is a truly wonderful psychedelic soullful and funky record the third one by Monophonics a brilliant band formed in San Fransisco in 2005.

The playing is tight and the songwriting really efficient, neraly each song on the record is a "hit", you just can't resist to the groove of songs like "bang bang" or the aptly named "there's a riot going on". just listen to it and your mind will be blown away on a psychedelic path full of funky/spacey guitars, brass, soulful vocals, choruses and funky drumming.

lsitening to this record is mandatory, there won't be no excuses!

http://monophonics.com
you can listen to their previous records here : http://monophonics.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-infrasounds

Dr John-Locked down

Since the sixties Malcom Rebennack alias Dr John is the embodiment of New-Orleans voodoo funk groove. Eh oui mes amis, Dr John porte en lui le voodoo groove funky de cette bonne vieille Nouvelle-Orléans!

And, after the really good Tribal released in 2010, the Doctor proves it once again with Locked down.

Unlike his latest album he is not this time backed by the Lower 911 band, this times he has on his side another band provided by Dan Auerbach from The black keys who also plays the guitar and produces the album. But the result is not so different, Locked down sounding like a classical Dr John record, which, considering how good is a classical Dr John record, is not a bad thing. Maybe the focus is a bit more on the vocal melodies, and maybe this time the voodoo elements (bordering at times to afro-beat/afro-funk)  is more felt than the funk element. To make short it's another brilliant record by Dr John. The highlights are, in my opinion, "Revolution" and "Getaway", but check it by yourself! you won't regret it...Highly recommended!

nitetripper.com